ELIJAH  PARISH  LOVEJOY 

AS  A  CHRISTIAN 


MELV1N  JAMESON 


IFitk  Appendix  as  to  t/if  Lwvejoy  Monument 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ELIJAH  PARISH  LOVEJOY 

AS   A   CHRISTIAN 


By 
MEL^IN   JAMESON 


With  Appendix  as  to  the  Lovejoy  Monument 
Etc.,  Etc.,  Etc. 

SCRANTOM,  WETMORE  &  Co. 

Publishers 
ROCHESTER,   N.   V. 


E.  R.  ANDREWS  PRINTING   CO. 
ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


A  4  J& 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFATORY  NOT;-:      .......  7 

«2       INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 13 

1. 1 

"*       ELIJAH  PARISH  LOVEJOY  AS  A  CHRISTIAN  15 

«       APPENDIX  66 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

« 

w      SILHOUETTE  OF  LOVEJOY 5 

%      LOVEJOY  MONUMENT,  ALTON,  ILL.     .      .  66 

HOME  OF  LOVEJOY,  ALTON,  ILL.        .      .  91 

d       PORTRAIT  OF  HON.  OWEN  LOVEJOY,  M.  C.  97 
^       PORTRAITS  OF  Two   DEFENDERS  OF  THE 

FOURTH   PRESS 105 

uj       PORTRAIT  OF  WENDELL  PHILLIPS  .      .      .  106 

§       LATER  PORTRAIT  OF  WENDELL  PHILLIPS  109 


446298 


[  From    Dffen!( 


Citizens  of  St.   Louis.    Nov.  S.  '35.1 


"  The  path  of  duty  lies  plain  before  me,  and  I  must  walk  there 
though  it  lead  to  the  whipping-post,  the  tar-barrel,  or  even  the  stake. 
bold  and  dauntless  in  the  service  of  sin:  it  is  not  fitting  that  I  should 
so  in  the  service  of  my  Redeemer.  He  sought  me  out  when  there  was 
help;  when  I  was  fast  sinking  to  eternal  ruin,  he  raised  me  up.  and  pl 
on  the  Rock  of  Ages;  and  now  shall  I  forsake  him  when  he  has  so  few 
and  so  many  enemies  in  St.  Louis.'  I  can  not,  I  dare  not,  and,  his  gr 


ced  me 
friends 
ace  sus- 


Humbly  entreating  all  whom  J  have  injured,  whether  intentionally  or 
erwise,  to  forgive  me;  in  charity  with  all  men;  freely  forgiving  my  enemies, 
•n  those  who  thirst  for  my  blood,  and  with  the  blest  assurance,  that  in  life  or 
ith,  nothing  can  separate  me  from  my  Redeemer,  I  subscribe  myself. 

Your  fellow  citizen, 

KI.1JAH    P.    LOVEJOY." 


E  occasion  of  the  address,  here  pre- 
sented  to  the  reading  public  was  the 
proposal  to  erect  at  Alton,  111.,  in  1897, 
a  monument  to  Love  joy,  who,  as  patriot  and 
philanthropist,  was  generally  and  cordially 
acknowledged  to  be  worthy  of  such  a  tribute. 
To  the  present  writer,  however,  as  one  ac- 
quainted with  his  life  story,*  it  seemed  de- 


*The  writer  wishes  to  acknowledge  his  indebted- 
ness to  Henry  Tanner's  book,  ''The  Martyrdom  of 
Lovejoy,  By  an  Eye-Witness,"  printed  by  the  Fergus 
Printing  Co.,  Chicago,  1881,  for  the  facts  given  of 
Lovejoy's  life,  as  well  as  for  the  extracts  introduced 
from  the  martyr's  utterances  with  tongue  or  with  pen. 
The  "eye-witness*  character  of  Tanner's  testimony 
seems  to  vouch  satisfactorily  for  its  trustworthiness 
as  what  modern  historical  writers  call  a  "source."  He 
gives  also  the  extended,  valuable  testimony  of  two 
other  eye-witnesses,  Winthrop  S.  Gilman,  of  New 
York,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  of  Chicago,  both 
formerly  residents  of  Alton.  Since  making  quota- 
tions from  Mr.  Tanner's  book  the  writer  has  been 
favored  by  the  loan  of  a  rare  copy  of  the  original 
Memoir  of  Lovejoy,  published  in  1838,  by  his  brothers 
Joseph  C.  and  Owen  Lovejoy,  to  which  Mr.  Tanner 
gives  credit  for  much  help  in  the  compilation  of  his 
book. 


8  ELIJAH     PARISH    LOVEJOY 

sirable  and  important  that  attention  should 
be  called  to  his  rare  piety  and  loyalty  to  Jesus 
Christ.  This  aspect  of  his  character  was, 
therefore,  presented  to  the  writer's  congrega- 
tion in  Alton,  at  the  Cherry  Street  Mission 
Chapel,  and  soon  again  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of 
Alton,  and  yet  once  more  to  the  Faculty  and 
students  of  Shurtleff  College  in  Upper  Alton. 
It  is  rare  for  a  city  to  be  so  undesirably 
notorious  as  Alton  was  for  many  years,  on 
account  of  having  had  the  misfortune  to  be  the 
scene  of  the  first  bloodshed  in  the  conflict  with 
the  slave-power  in  ^America.  Having  become 
a  resident  of  the  city,  as  pastor  of  one  of  its 
churches,  early  in  1860,  and  soon  going  to  Cin- 
cinnati on  a  brief  visit,  the  present  writer,  being 
introduced  as  from  Alton,  111.,  to  that  war 
horse  of  Abolitionism,  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver, 
received  from  the  massive  man  the  prompt, 
emphatic  response,  "Alton!  It  is  core  reef  with 
blood!!"  At  home,  reminders  of  the  sad  trag- 
edy in  the  city's  history,  though  less  pro- 
nounced, might  well  have  been  even  more 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN. 

impressive  to  thoughtful  men,  familiar  with 
the  occurrences  of  the  preceding  generation. 
There,  for  instance,  was  the  house  in  which 
Lovejoy  resided ;  here  was  the  stone  building 
occupied  for  his  printing  office,  which  the  mob 
broke  into  at  night  and  totally  destroyed  press 
and  printing  material ;  here,  of  course,  was 
the  street  on  which  he  was  waylaid ;  there, 
between  the  river  and  the  bluff,  was  the  spot 
where  he  fell ;  and  yonder  in  the  cemetery  was 
his  sadly  neglected  grave.  Then  came  the 
great  excitement  of  the  war  brought  on  by 
slavery  on  account  of  which,  more  than  twenty 
years  before,  the  peace  of  Alton  had  been  so 
fearfully  disturbed.  Then  came  Owen  Love- 
joy  to  speak  in  our  City  Hall,  on  behalf  of 
the  cause  for  which  his  brother  died.  To  that 
cause  he  had  dedicated  his  life  by  the  side  of 
his  brother's  bullet-riddled  body,  at  the  home 
on  Cherry  street.  Then  came  many  hundreds 
of  Confederate  prisoners,  landing  from  Missis- 
sippi steamers,  and  passing  close  by  the  spot 
where  Lovejoy  fell,  to  be  safely  guarded  by 


10  ELIJAH     PARISH     LOVKJOY 

L  .  S.  soldiers  in  the  old  penitentiary,  a  little 
way  up  the  bluff,  overlooking  the  same  historic 
spot.  Scores  of  these  prisoners,  hundreds  in 
all,  died  from  disease,  and  were  laid  in  the 
Confederate  burying  ground,  on  one  side  of 
the  city,  while  on  the  opposite  side,  in  the  city 
cemetery,  was  the  grave  of  Lovejoy.  How 
natural,  in  the  retrospect,  to  connect  these  suc- 
sessive  local  incidents  in  the  progress  of  the 
irrepressible  conflict,  with  the  local  tragedy 
which  had  marked  the  violent  beginning  of 
that  conflict !  Then  came  Wendell  Phillips  to 
stand  at  the  grave  of-  Lovejoy,  as  did  also 
Nathaniel  Colver. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  the  confessedly 
heretofore  neglected  grave  was  now  forgotten. 
The  present  writer  was  member  of  a  Lovejoy 
Monument  Committee,  composed  of  earnest 
men,  who  held  meetings  at  intervals  in  the 
sixties  of  the  Nineteenth  Century.  But,  though 
they  met  and  deliberated,  and  discussed  plans, 
and  would  have  been  glad  to  do  something 
commendable,  they  really  accomplished  noth- 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.        '  '11 

ins;-.  One  member  of  the  committee,  Hon. 
Thomas  Dimmock,  on  his  own  account,  placed 
over  the  grave  the  scroll  of  Italian  marble,  on 
a  base  of  New  England  granite,  which  still 
marks  the  spot.  But  that  at  the  time  of  Mr. 
Phillips's  visit,  another  and  more  conspicuous 
monument  was  contemplated,  let  his  eloquent 
letter,  printed  in  the  Appendix  to  this  publica- 
tion, bear  witness.  The  letter  was  written  in 
1867,  thirty  years  after  the  martyrdom ;  but  it 
was  not  till  thirty  years  later,  1897,  that  Air. 
Phillips's  prophecy  of  a  suitable  "testimony" 
was  fulfilled.  Xo  one  could  be  more  gratified 
than  the  surviving  members  of  the  unsuccess- 
ful committee,  over  what  the  later  efficient 
Monument  Association  was  able  to  accomplish, 
with  the  endorsement  of  the  Alton  Common 
Council,  the  generous  contributions  of  citizens 
of  Alton  and  others,  and  the  noble  appropria- 
tion of  $25,000  by  the  Legislature  of  Illinois. 
What  they  accomplished  will  be  shown  in  the 
Appendix.  Very  few  more  welcome  oppor- 
tunities have  come  to  the  present  writer  than 


12  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

the  privilege  afforded  him  at  the  Dedication, 
of  giving  voice  in  prayer  to  the  gratitude-  of 
the  great  assembly  for  the  life,  character  and 
influence  of  the  Christian  Patriot  and  Philan- 
thropist, whom  the  monument  commemorated, 
and  to  the  earnest  desire  of  that  assembly  for 
the  welfare  in  all  respects  of  the  millions  in 
whose  behalf  he  was  willing  even  to  die. 

Ten  years  after  the  delivery  of  the  address 
suggested  by  the  proposal  to  erect  the  monu- 
ment, as  the  Seventieth  Anniversary  of  the 
martyrdom  drew  near,  a  paper  upon  the  same 
subject,  by  the  same  writer,  was  read,  with  the 
same  purpose,  before  the  Ministerial  Alliance 
of  Alton  and  vicinity.  This  paper  was  by  them 
urgently  recommended  to  be  printed.  It  will 
be  found  to  consist  largely  of  Love  joy's  own 
words,  with  only  enough  of  the  story  of  his 
consistent  life  to  be  a  fit  setting  for  the  devout 
utterances  of  this  Stephen  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century.  May  many  be  hereby  led  to  glorify 
Jesus  Christ  in  him.  M.  J. 


rIE  earnest,  forceful  words,  which  con- 
cluded the  INTRODUCTION  BY  JOHN 
QUINCY  ADAMS  to  the  "Memoir  of  Rev. 
,  Elijah  P.  Love  joy,"  published  in  1838,  the 
next  year  after  the  martyrdom,  by  his  brothers, 
Joseph  C.,  and  Owen  Love  joy,  may  still  be 
fittingly  used,  though  more  than  seventy  years 
afterwards,  to  introduce  the  same  story,  now 
briefly  told,  since  its  aim  is  identical  with  that 
of  the  original  Memoir.  Mr.  Adams  wrote : 
"The  incidents  which  preceded,  and  accom- 
panied and  followed  the  catastrophe  of  Mr. 
Lovejoy's  death,  point  it  out  as  an  epocha  in 
the  annals  of  human  liberty.  They  have  given 
a  shock  as  of  an  earthquake  throughout  this 
continent,  which  will  be  felt  in  the  most  distant 
regions  of  the  earth.  They  have  inspired  an 
interest  in  the  public  mind  which  extends  al- 
ready to  the  life  and  character  of  the  sufferer, 
and  which  it  is  believed  will  abide  while  ages 


14  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

pass  away.  To  record  and  preserve  for  pos- 
terity the  most  interesting  occurrences  of  his 
life  has  been  considered  an  obligation  of  duty, 
especially  incumbent  upon  the  surviving  mem- 
bers of  his  family ;  and  in  the  effusions  of  his 
own  mind,  and  the  characteristic  features  of 
his  familiar  correspondence,  the  reader  will 
find  the  most  effective  portraiture  of  the  first 
American  Martyr  to  THE  FREEDOM  OF  THE 
PRESS,  AND  THE  FREEDOM  OF  THE  SLAVE." 

J.  Q.  A. 


fitjalj 

as  a  OUjrtHttatt 

T  is  now  full  seventy  years  since  the 
memorable  summer  of  1837,  during 
which  the  city  of  Alton,  111.,  was  the 
scene  of  great  and  growing  excitement,  mani- 
festing itself  frequently  and  variously,  until 
it  culminated,  Nov.  7th,  in  the  violent  death 
of  Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy,  who  fell  a  martyr 
in  the  cause  of  free  speech  and  a  free  press. 
As  such  a  martyr  he  was  immediately  lamented 
and  honored  throughout  the  Northern  States 
by  thoughtful  men  who  realized  how  essential 
was  the  right  of  free  discussion  to  the  triumph 
of  truth  and  righteousness,  and  the  permanence 
of  popular  government.  Inasmuch  as  the  sub- 
ject which  he  insisted  upon  his  right  to  discuss 
was  American  slavery,  he  was  regarded,  and 
rightly,  as  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  human 
liberty.  He  was  a  lover  of  his  country,  willing, 


16  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

if  need  were,  to  die  in  the  maintenance  of 
rights,  absolutely  essential  to  his  country's  wel- 
fare. He  was  a  lover  of  his  fellow  men,  will- 
ing, if  need  were,  to  die  in  lawful  effort  to 
lift  the  yoke  of  human  bondage.  Noble,  self- 
sacrificing  patriot  and  philanthropist !  But  ex- 
alted as  these  encomiums  are,  he  is  worthy  of 
other  and  even  higher  commendation,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  an  avowed,  fearless 
servant  of  God,  and  a  faithful  follower  of 
Jesus  Christ.  In  such  service  and  discipleship 
do  we  find  the  fountain  head  of  his  patriotism 
and  his  philanthropy.  It  is  to  set  forth,  illus- 
trate and,  emphasize  the  distinctively  godly, 
Christian  element  in  his  character  that  this 
rapid  survey  is  presented  of  his  consecrated 
life. 

Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy  was  born  in  Albion, 
Me.,  Nov.  8th,  1802.  He  was  the  son  of  a 
Congregationalist  minister.  He  was  graduated 
from  Waterville  College,  (now  Colby  Univer- 
sity), Waterville,  Me.,  receiving  the  first  honors 
of  his  class,  and  upon  coming  West,  soon  be- 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  17 

became  editor  of  a  political  newspaper,  The  St. 
Louis  Times,  an  organ  of  the  Whig  party.* 
Though  reared  in  a  Christian  home,  and  edu- 
cated in  a  Christian  college,  he  had  not  yet 
yielded  to  the  claims  of  the  gospel.  But  early 
in  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  a  glad  letter 
carried  the  welcome  tidings  to  the  New  Eng- 
land parsonage,  that  the  son,  long  prayed  for, 
had  been  converted,  and  was  already  on  his 
way  to  Princeton  to  prepare  for  the  ministry. 
The  following  paragraphs  from  a  letter  to  his 
parents  will  show  the  earnestness  of  his  pur- 
pose : 

"My  dear  and  honored  parents :  I  wrote 
you  four  weeks  since,  and  as  you  will  have 
learned  from  that  letter,  was  then  in  a  state 
of  deep  distress.  Sorrow  had  taken  hold  upon 
me,  and  a  sense  of  my  long  career  in  sin  and 
rebellion  against  God  lay  heavy  upon  my  soul. 

*The  Memoir  by  his  brothers  gives  September, 
1826,  as  the  time  of  his  graduation,  and  the  latter 
part  of  1827,  after  several  months  of  teaching  in  an 
Eastern  academy,  as  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  St. 
Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  teaching  before  becoming 
editor  of  a  political  paper. 


18  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

But  it  pleased  God,  and  blessed  be  his  holy 
name,  to  grant  me,  as  I  humbly  hope,  that  very 
night,  joy  and  peace  in  believing.  I  was  by 
divine  grace  enabled  to  bring  all  my  sins  and 
all  my  sorrows  and  lay  them  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus,  and  to  receive  the  blessed  assurance  that 
he  had  accepted  me  all  sinful  and  polluted  as 
I  was.  *  *  *  I  look  back  upon  my  past 
life  and  am  lost  in  utter  amazement  at  the  per- 
fect folly  and  madness  of  my  conduct.  *  :;:  * 
Do  Christians  ever  feel  oppressed,  as  it  were, 
with  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  owe  to 
their  Redeemer?  Why,  it  seems  to  me  some- 
times as  if  I  could  not  bear  up  under  the  weight 
of  my  obligations  to  God  in  Christ,  as  if  they 
would  press  me  to  the  very  earth,  and  I  am 
only  relieved  by  the  reflection  that  I  have  an 
eternity  in  which  I  may  praise  and  magnify 
the  riches  of  his  grace.  *  *  *  If  God  shall 
spare  my  hitherto  unprofitable  life,  I  xhope  to 
be  able  to  spend  the  remainder  of  it  in  some 
measure  to  his  glory.  Time  now  with  me  is 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  19 

precious,  and  every  day  seems  an  age,  till  I 
can  be  at  work  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord." 
This  letter  was  dated  Feb.  22d,  1832.  Doubt- 
less owing  to  previous  attainments,  and  to  dili- 
gent application,  Mr.  Love  joy  completed  his 
studies  the  following  year,  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  returning  to  St.  Louis,  became 
editor,  Xov.  llth,  1833.  of  The  St.  Louis  Ob- 
server, the  organ  of  the  Presbyterians  in  Mis- 
souri and  Illinois.  In  this  paper  he  was  very 
outspoken  in  the  exposure  and  denunciation  of 
wrong  doing,  and  in  opposition  to  errors  of 
faith  as  well  as  of  practice.  Inasmuch  as  a 
convention  had  been  called  for  revising  the 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  he  ar- 
gued and  pleaded  for  an  amendment  abolishing 
slavery.  The  Missouri  Republican  also,  the 
leading  secular  journal  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  strongly  advocated  the  same  amend- 
ment on  economic  grounds.  The  Observer 
called  upon  Christians  to  pray  the  Lord  to  send 
a  laborer  into  the  state  to  enlighten  public 
sentiment  on  this  important  subject.  As  to 


20  ELIJAH     PARISH    LOVKJOV 

this  laborer  the  editor  says :  "We  do  not  want 
a  man  from  the  northern  or  middle  states :  \ve 
want  one  who  has  himself  been  educated  in  the 
midst  of  slavery,  who  has  always  lived  in  con- 
tact with  it,  who  knows  experimentally  all  its 
evils,  and  all  its  difficulties." 

He  was  at  this  earlier  period  in  favor  of 
gradual  emancipation  and  colonization,  and 
was  quite  moderate  in  his  utterances.  But  the 
slaveholding  community  were  not  to  be  satis- 
fied with  moderation  in  the  discussion  of  the 
subject.  They  demanded  silence. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  the  local  excitement  had 
become  so  intense,  with  some  rumors  of  a  pur- 
pose to  destroy  the  office  of  The  Observer, 
that  a  card  was  published  by  the  proprietors 
of  the  paper  and  some  of  the  city  subscribers, 
advising  the  publishers  to  exclude  from  their 
columns  all  discussions  of  slavery.  This  was 
during  Mr.  Lovejoy's  absence  from  the  city 
of  about  three  weeks  in  attendance  upon  Pres- 
bytery and  Synod.  An  earnestly  persuasive 
letter  was  also  sent  to  him  personally,  to  the 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  21 

same  effect  as  the  published  card,  by  nine 
prominent  citizens,  including  the  pastor  and 
two  elders  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church. 
This  letter,  carefully  preserved,  was  found 
among  Mr.  Lovejoy's  papers  after  his  death, 
with  an  endorsement  made  just  two  weeks 
previously,  which  gives  impressive  evidence 
that  in  deciding  what  to  do,  he  was  altogether 
independent  of  eVen  trusted  Christian  friends ; 
for  one  of  the  names  signed  to  the  letter  was 
that  of  his  esteemed  pastor,  who  had  encour- 
aged him  to  enter  the  ministry.  The  endorse- 
ment is  as  follows : 

"I  did  not  yield  to  the  wishes  here  expressed, 
and  in  consequence,  have  been  persecuted  ever 
since.  But  I  have  kept  a  good  conscience  in 
the  matter,  and  that  repays  me  for  all  I  have 
suffered  or  can  suffer.  I  have  sworn  eternal 
opposition  to  slavery,  and  by  the  blessing  of 
God  I  will  never  go  back." 

E.  P.  L.,  October  24,  1837. 

About  the  time  the  card  was  published  and 
the  letter  sent,  (Oct.  1835),  a  public  meeting 


22  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

was  held  in  St.  Louis  to  denounce  the  course 
pursued  by  the  opponents  of  slavery.  Strong 
resolutions  were  passed  approving  American 
slavery  as  Scriptural,  denying  the  right  to  dis- 
cuss the  subject,  and  denouncing  such  discus- 
sion as  seditious. 

Mr.  Lovejoy's  friends  besought  him  not  to 
return  to  the  city,  because  he  would  be  in 
danger.  But  his  wife,  though  young  and  an 
invalid,  said,  "Go,  if  you  think  duty  calls  you." 
He  did  go,  and  he  suffered  no  personal  harm. 
He  soon  published  a  reply  to  the  resolutions 
passed  at  the  meeting,  and  an  appeal  to  his 
fellow  citizens,  a  few  sentences  from  which  will 
show  what  was  the  foundation  of  his  firmness 
and  persistence.  He  wrote  : 

"I  hope  to  write  in  that  spirit  of  meekness 
and  humility  that  becomes  a  follower  of  the 
Lamb,  and  at  the  same  time  with  all  the  bold- 
ness and  sincerity  of  speech  which  should  mark 
the  language  of  a  freeman  and  a  Christian 
minister." 

He  quoted  an  article  of  the  Constitution  of 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN*. 

the  State  of  Missouri,  which  guaranteed  to 
every  person  the  right  "to  speak,  write  and 
print  freely  on  any  subject,  being  responsible 
for  the  abuse  of  that, liberty."  After  indicating 
the  evils  liable  to  result  from  the  subversion 
of  this  right,  he  wrote : 

"I  deem  it  therefore  my  duty  to  take  my 
stand  upon  the  Constitution.  Here  is  firm 
ground.  I  feel  it  to  be  such,  and  I  do  most  re- 
spectfully, yet  decidedly,  declare  to  you  my 
fixed  determination  to  maintain  this  ground. 
We  have  slaves,  it  is  true,  but  /  am  not  one. 
I  am  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, — a  citizen 
of  Missouri — freeborn,  and  having  never  for- 
feited the  inestimable  privileges  attached  to 
such  a  condition,  I  cannot  consent  to  surrender 
them.  But  while  I  maintain  them,  I  hope  to 
do  it  with  all  that  meekness  and  humility  that 
become  a  Christian,  and  especially  a  Christian 
minister.  I  am  ready,  not  to  fight,  but  to  suf- 
fer, and,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  them.  Kindred 
blood  to  that  which  flows  in  my  veins  flowed 
freely  to  water  the  tree  of .  Christian  liberty, 


24  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

planted  by  the  Puritans  on  the  rugged  soil  of 
New  England.  It  flowed  as  freely  on  the 
plains  of  Lexington,  the  heights  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  fields  of  Saratoga.  And  freely,  too, 
shall  mine  flow,  yea,  as  freely  as  if  it  \vere  so 
much  water,  ere  I  surrender  my  right  to  plead 
the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  before  my 
fellow  citizens,  and  in  the  face  of  all  their  op- 
posers.  *  *  *  The  path  of  duty  lies  plain 
before  one,  and  I  must  walk  therein,  even 
though  it  lead  to  the  whipping  post,  the  tar 
barrel  or  even  the  stake.  I  was  bold  and 
dauntless  in  the  service  of  sin ;  it  is  not  fit  that 
I  should  be  less  so  in  the  service  of  my  Re- 
deemer. He  sought  me  out  when  there  was 
none  to  help;  when  I  was  fast  sinking  to 
eternal  ruin,  he  raised  me  up  and  placed  me 
on  the  Rock  of  Ages ;  and  now  shall  I  forsake 
him,  when  he  has  so  few  friends,  and  so  many 
enemies  in  St.  Louis?  I  cannot,  I  dare  not, 
and  his  grace  sustaining  me,  /  will  not.  *  *  * 
"Fellow  citizens,  they  told  me  that  if  I  re- 
turned to  the  city  from  my  late  absence,  you 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  ZO 

would  surely  lay  violent  hands  upon  me,  and 
many  of  my  friends  besought  me  not  to  come. 
I  disregarded  their  advice,  because  I  plainly 
saw,  or  thought  I  saw,  that  the  Lord  would 
have  me  come.  And  up  to  this  moment  that 
conviction  of  duty  has  continued  to  strengthen, 
until  now  I  have  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt 
that  I  did  right.  I  have  appeared  openly 
among  you,  in  your  streets  and  market  places, 
and  now  I  openly  and  publicly  throw  myself 
into  your  hands.  I  can  die  at  my  post,  but  I 
cannot  desert  it." 

This   long  defense  and  appeal   closes  with 
these  words :     "Humbly  entreating  all  whom 
I  have  injured,  whether  intentionally  or  other- 
wise, to  forgive  me ;  in  charity  with  all  men, 
freely  forgiving  my  enemies,  even  those  who 
thirst  for  my  blood,  and  with  the  blest  assur- 
ance that  in  life  or  death,  nothing  can  separate 
me  from  my  Redeemer,  I  subscribe  myself. 
Your  fellow  citizen, 
ELIJAH  P.  LOVEJOY." 


26  ELIJAH     PARISH    LOVEJOY 

As  to  his  situation  in  St.  Louis,  upon  his 
return  at  this  time,  he  afterwards  wrote : 

"I  was  alone  in  St.  Louis  with  none  but 
God  of  whom  to  ask  counsel.  But  thrice 
blessed  be  his  holy  name.  He  did  not  forsake 
me.  I  was  enabled  deliberately  and  unreserved- 
ly to  surrender  myself  to  Him.  I  thought  of 
mother,  of  brothers  and  sisters,  and  above  all 
of  my  dearest  wife,  and  felt  that  I  could  give 
them  all  up  for  Jesus'  sake.  I  think  I  could 
have  gone  to  the  stake,  and  not  a  nerve  have 
trembled,  or  a  lip  quivered.  Under  the  in- 
fluence of  these  feelings,  I  wrote  and  sent  forth 
my  appeal." 

This  Appeal  was  dated  Nov.  5th.  1835.  My 
quotations  have,  by  my  purpose,  been  limited  to 
a  single  class  of  passages. .  But  I  must  not  fail 
to  refer  to  the  great  cogency  of  his  arguments, 
and  the  aptness  of  his  illustrations  in  maintain- 
ing his  positions.  But  forcible  argument  and 
telling  illustration  served  rather  to  exasperate 
than  to  convince  his  adversaries.  However, 
the  current  of  public  opposition  was  somewhat 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  27 

stayed.  Some  men  who  cared  little  for  the  re- 
ligious views  of  the  editor  as  expressed  in  his 
paper,  said,  "The  Observer  must  be  sustained, 
or  our  liberties  are  gone."  A  few  sentences 
from  a  letter  to  his  brother  will  tell  of  the  relief 
that  came  to  the  man  of  God  at  this  critical 
time  : 

"The  pressure  which  seemed  as  though  it 
would  crush  me  to  the  earth  began  to  lighten. 
Light  began  to  break  in  upon  the  gloomiest 
day  I  have  ever  seen.  I  cannot  think  or  write 
about  it  without  my  eyes  filling  with  tears 
to  think  of  the  deliverance  which  God  wrought 
by  so  weak  and  unworthy  an  instrument  as  I 
am." 

Notwithstanding',  however,  the  diminution 
of  public  opposition,  the  original  proprietors 
of  The  Observer  insisted  that  Mr.  Lovejoy 
should  not  continue  to  be  its  editor,  and  he 
cheerfully  consented  to  comply  with  their  re- 
quest. But  the  paper  was  in  debt,  and  press 
and  material  passed  into  the  hands  of  an  en- 
dorser of  a  note  soon  to  fall  due.  This  new 


28  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

owner,  to  avoid  loss,  insisted  that  Mr.  Love- 
joy  should  continue  to  be  editor,  with  the 
understanding  that  the  paper  should  be  re- 
moved to  Alton,  111.,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  distant. 
This  change  of  ownership  seems  to  have  oc- 
curred late  in  1835,  but  the  removal  was  de- 
ferred until  the  following  June. 

Meanwhile  there  occurred  in  St.  Louis, 
startling  events  which  could  not  be  passed  over 
in  silence  by  a  religious  newspaper.  The 
lynching  of  a  negro,  who  had  murdered  a 
white  man,  including  the  public  burning  of  the 
negro  alive  at  the  stake,  was  denounced  as 
atrocious,  and  the  charge  of  the  judge  to  the 
Grand  Jury,  practically  justifying  the  mob, 
was  severely  condemned  in  the  editorial  col- 
umns of  The  Observer.  Very  promptly  there- 
upon, just  as  the  removal  to  Alton  was  about 
to  be  made,  it  was  well  nigh  prevented  by  an 
attack  on  the  office,  resulting  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  much  of  the  printing  outfit,  Mr.  Love- 
joy's  furniture,  even,  not  altogether  escaping 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  29 

the  rage  of  his  enemies.  It  was  only  what 
escaped  this  destruction  that  was  shipped  to 
Alton,  and  left  on  the  levee,  where  before  day- 
light of  the  day  after  its  arrival,  this  remnant 
of  the  first  press  was  destroyed  and  thrown 
into  the  river.  This  occurred  in  June,  1836. 

At  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Alton, 
held  immediately,  this  act  of  violence  was  dis- 
claimed, and  provision  was  made  for  the  pur- 
chase of  a  new  press.  It  was  at  this  meeting 
that  Mr.  Lovejoy  in  closing  his  address  ut- 
tered these  memorable  words : 

"But,  gentlemen,  as  long  as  I  am  an  Ameri- 
can citizen,  and  as  long  as  American  blood  runs 
in  these  veins,  I  shall  hold  myself  at  liberty 
to  speak,  to  write  and  to  publish  whatever  I 
please  on  any  subject,  being  amenable  to  the 
laws  of  my  country  for  the  same." 

There  is  abundant  evidence  of  the  utterance 
of  these  words  by  Mr.  Lovejoy  at  this  time, 
even  the  testimony  of  ten  men,  whose  names 
Mr.  Tanner  gives,  describing  them  as  "ten  of 
the  most  respectable  citizens  of  Alton."  The 


30  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

fact  is  of  great  importance,  because  his  enemies 
afterwards  contended  that  in  coming  to  Alton 
Mr.  Lovejoy  agreed  to  abstain  from  the  dis- 
cussion of  slavery. 

The  summer  of  1836,  now  just  at  an  end, 
had  been  a  season  of  much  sickness  in  Alton, 
which  the  Love  joys  had  not  escaped.  How 
ill  prepared  physically  the  editor  was  to  make 
vigorous  use  of  the  new  press,  expected  soon 
to'  arrive,  is  indicated  by  the  following  letter 
to  his  mother,  dated  Aug.  31st,  which  shows 
also  the  Christian  spirit  of  the  man.  He 
wrote : 

"Why,  when  my  services  are  so  much  need- 
ed, I  should  be  laid  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  I 
cannot  tell;  why,  when  God  has  in  his  wise 
and  holy  providence,  let  loose  upon  me  angry 
and  wicked  men,  he  should  also  so  heavily  lay 
his  own  hand  upon  me,  I  cannot  see,  but  he 
can,  and  I  desire  to  submit  without  a  murmur. 
I  can  now  fed  as  I  never  felt  before,  the  wis- 
dom of  Paul's  advice  not  to  marry,  and  yet 
I  would  not  be  without  the  consolations  which 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  31 

my  clear  wife  and  child  afford  me  for  all  the 
world.  Still  I  cannot  but  feel  that  it  is  harder 
to  fight  valiantly  for  the  truth,  when  I  risk 
not  only  my  own  comfort,  ease  and  reputation, 
and  even  life,  but  also  that  of  another  beloved 
one.  But  in  this  I  am  greatly  favored.  My 
dear  wife  is  a  perfect  heroine.  Though  of  del- 
icate health  she  endures  affliction  more  calmly 
than  I  had  supposed  possible  for  a  woman  to 
do.  Xever  has  she  by  a  single  word  attempted 
to  turn  me  from  the  scene  of  warfare  and 
danger;  never  has  she  whispered  a  feeling  of 
discontent  at  the  hardships  to  which  she  has 
been  subjected  in  consequence  of  her  marriage 
to  me,  and  these  have  been  neither  few  nor 
small,  and  some  of  them  peculiarly  calculated 
to  wound  the  sensibility  of  a  woman.  She  has 
seen  me  shunned,  hated  and  reviled  by  those 
who  were  once  my  dearest  friends ;  she  has 
heard  the  execrations  wide  and  deep  upon  my 
head,  and  she  has  only  clung  to  me  the  more 
closely,  and  more  devotedly.  When  I  told 
her  that  the  mob  had  destroyed  a  considerable 


32  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

portion  of  our  furniture,  along  with  their  other 
depredations,  'No  matter,'  said  she,  'what  they 
have  destroyed,  since  they  have  not  hurt  you.' 
Such  is  woman,  and  such  is  the  woman  -whom 
God  has  given  me. 

"And  now  do  you  ask,  Are  you  discouraged  ? 
I  answer  promptly,  Xo.  I  have  opened  my 
mouth  for  the  dumb.  I  have  pleaded  the  cause 
of  the  oppressed.  I  have  maintained  the 
rights  of  humanity,  and  of  nature  outraged  in 
the  person  of  my  fellow  men  around  me,  and 
I  have  done  it,  as  is  my  nature,  openly,  boldly, 
and  in  the  light  of  day,  and  for  these  things  I 
am  brought  into  these  straits.  For  these 
things  I  have  seen  my  family  scattered,  my 
office  broken  up,  my  furniture — as  I  was  mov- 
ing to  this  place — destroyed ;  have  been  loaded 
with  execrations,  have  had  all  manner  of  evil 
spoken  of  me  falsely,  and  finally  have  had  my 
life  threatened,  and  have  lain  down  at  night, 
weary  and  sick,  with  the  expectation  that  I 
might  be  aroused  by  the  stealthy  step  of  the 
assassin.  This  was  the  case  the  last  night  I 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  33 

spent  in  St.  Louis.  Yet  none  of  these  things 
move  me  from  my  purpose.  By  the  grace  of 
God  I  will  not,  I  will  not  forsake  my  prin- 
ciples ;  and  I  will  maintain  and  propagate 
them  with  all  the  means  he  puts  into  my  hands. 
The  cry  of  the  oppressed  has  entered  not 
only  into  my  ears,  but  into  my  soul,  so  that 
while  I  live  I  cannot  hold  my  peace." 

A  week  and  and  a  day  later  than  the  date 
of  this  letter,  the  first  number  of  The  Alton 
Obscri'cr  was  issued,  September  8th,  1836,  and 
the  paper  continued  to  be  published  regularly 
for  eleven  months.  The  removal  to  Alton 
proved  to  be  a  success  financially.  The  cir- 
culation of  the  paper  was  greatly  increased. 
As  occasion  required,  the  editor  did  not  fail 
to  express  his  convictions  as  to  the  evils  of 
slavery,  which  had  now  become  an  exciting 
subject  over  the  whole  country.  It  was  espe- 
cially so  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  where  John 
Quincy  Adams,  late  President  of  the  United 
States,  persisted  in  presenting  petitions  from 
his  constituents  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in 


34  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVE JOY 

the  District  of  Columbia.  This  aim  was  ap- 
proved by  The  Alton  Observer,  which  called 
for  names  of  those  who  were  willing  to  cir- 
culate petitions  for  this  object  in  different 
counties.  A  still  more  obnoxious  proposition, 
however,  was  a  call  for  the  formation  of  an 
Illinois  Anti-Slavery  Society.  It  was  written 
on  July  4th,  1837,  and  immediately  published. 
Alton  was  now  a  city  of  some  four  thousand 
inhabitants,  about  as  large  as  Chicago.  Its 
prosperity  and  prospects  had  attracted  men 
from  the  South  as  well  as  from  other  parts 
of  the  country.  It  is  not  strange  therefore 
that  there  was  a  response  to  an  anonymous 
call,  made  at  this  time  by  means  of  a  handbill, 
summoning  all  who  were  opposed  to  the  course 
taken  by  The  Alton  Observer,  to  meet  at  the 
public  market,  July  llth,  1837.  At  this  meet- 
ing its  object  was  stated  to  be,  "The  suppres- 
sion of  Abolitionism."  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  wait  on  Mr.  Lovejoy,  "to  ascertain 
whether  he  intends  to  disseminate  through  the 
columns  of  The  Observer  the  doctrines  of 


AS   A    CHRISTIAN.     '  35 

Abolitionism."  But  they  were  so  dilatory  in 
doing  their  work,  that  when  at  length  they 
did  communicate  with  him,  he  had  already, 
four  days  before,  published  an  article  entitled, 
"What  are  the  doctrines  of  Anti-Slavery  men  ?'' 
to  which  he  referred  them,  with  a  kindly  ex- 
pressed denial  of  their  right  to  question  his 
liberty  of  free  speech. 

In  this  article  he  frankly  admits  that  he 
now  holds  views  different  from  those  which 
he  formerly  held.  He  then  proceeds  to  de- 
fine and  defend  the  views  of  Abolitionists, 
using  the  term  repeatedly,  as,  "Abolitionists 
hold,"  "Abolitionists  believe,"  etc.,  in  describ- 
ing and  defending  their  views.  He  protests 
against  frequent  misrepresentations  of  those 
views  by  their  enemies.  The  article  clearly, 
indisputably  involves  an  admission  that  he  has 
himself  become  an  Abolitionist  of  the  kind  he 
describes  and  defends.  In  reading  his  state- 
ment of  principles,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive 
why  they  did  not  commend  themselves  to  every 
reasonable  mind.  For  example,  to  the  ques- 


36  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

tion,  "How  and  by  whom  is  emancipation  to 
be  effected?"  he  answers,  ''By  the  masters 
themselves,  and  by  no  others." 

This  able  article  was  very  extended,  and  \\  as 
written  under  a  deep  sense  of  responsibility. 
He  thus  concludes :  "These  principles  are 
eternal  and  immutable,  for  they  are  established 
by  God  himself,-  and  whoever  would  destroy 
them  must  first  reach  up  to  heaven  and  de- 
throne the  Almighty.  Sin  had  well  nigh  ban- 
ished them  from  the  earth,  when  the  Son  of 
God  came  down  to  reassert  them,  and  died  to 
sanction  them.  They  are  summed  up  perfectly 
in  the  language  by  which  the  angels  announced 
the  object  of  the  Redeemer's  mission  :  'Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest.  On  earth,  peace,  good 
will  toward  men.'  " 

One  or  two  sentences  from  The  Missouri 
Republican  of  this  time  may  serve  to  indicate 
the  feeling  and  purpose  of  pro-slavery  men. 
"The  editor  of  The  Observer  has  merited  the 
full  measure  of  the  community's  indignation, 
and  if  he  will  not  learn  by  experience,  they  are 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  37 

very  likely  to  teach  him  by  practice,  something 
of  the  light  in  which  the  honorable  and  re- 
spectable portion  of  the  community  view  his 
conduct.  He  has  forfeited  all  claim  to  the 
protection  of  that  or  any  other  community." 
Again,  a  few  days  later :  "We  had  hoped  that 
our  neighbors  would  have  ejected  from 
amongst  them  that  minister  "of  mischief,  The 
Observer,  or  at  least,  corrected  its  course. 
Something  must  be  done  in  this  matter,  and 
that  speedily." 

Four  days  later  something  was  done,  as 
to  method  and  extent  quite  enough  to  satisfy 
even  The  Missouri  Republican,  for  a  mob  en- 
tered the  office  of  The  Observer  at  night,  and 
totally  destroyed  all  that  pertained  to  the  pub- 
lication of  the  paper.  But  earlier  in  the  even- 
ing of  the  same  night,  an  attack  was  made 
upon  the  editor  himself,  characteristically 
planned.  The  plan  was  nothing  less  than  to 
tar  and  feather  him,  and  then  set  him  adrift  on 
the  Mississippi  in  a  canoe  secured  for  the  pur- 
pose. A  crowd  of  men  came  upon  him  at  about 

446298 


38  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

9  o'clock,  as  he  was  returning  home  from  a 
drug  store  in  the  city,  with  some  medicine  for 
his  sick  wife.  His  own  account  is  as  follows : 
"We  reside  more  than  half  a  mile  from  town. 
Just  as  I  was  leaving  the  principal  street  I 
met  the  mob.  They  did  not  at  first  recognize 
me,  and  I  parted  their  columns  for  some  dis- 
tance, and  had  just  reached  the  rear,  when 
some  of  them  began  to  suspect  who  it  was. 
They  immediately  wheeled  their  column,  and 
came  after  me.  I  did  not  hurry  at  all,  believing 
that  it  was  not  for  such  a  man  as  I  am  to  flee. 
They  seemed  a  little  loth  to  come  on  me,  and 
I  could  hear  their  leaders  swearing  at  them, 
and  telling  them  to  push  on,  etc.  By  this  time 
they  began  to  throw  clods  of  dirt  at  me.  and 
several  hit  me,  without  hurting  me.  And  now 
a  fellow  pushed  up  to  my  side,  armed  with  a 
club,  to  ascertain  certainly  who  I  was.  He 
then  yelled  out,  'It's  the  d — d  Abolitionist,  give 
him  hell,'  whereat  there  was  another  rush  upon 
me.  But  when  they  got  close  up  they  seemed 
again  to  fall  back.  At  length,  a  number  of 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  39 

them,  linked  arm  in  arm,  pushed  by  me  and 
wheeled  in  the  road  before  me,  thus  stopping 
me  completely.  I  then  spoke  to  them,  asking 
them  why  they  stopped  me.  By  this  time  the 
cry  was  all  around  me,  'd — n  him,  rail  him,  rail 
him,  tar  and  feather  him,  tar  and  feather  him.' 
I  had  no  doubt  that  such  was  to  be  my  fate. 
I  then  said  to  them,  'I  have  one  request  to 
make  of  you,  and  then  you  may  do  with  me 
what  you  please.'  I  then  asked  them  to  send 
one  of  their  number,  to  take  the  medicine  to 
my  wife,  which  I  begged  they  would  do  with- 
out alarming  her.  This  they  promised,  and 
sent  one  of  their,  number  to  do  it,  who  did  it 
according  to  the  promise.  I  then  said  to  them, 
'You  had  better  let  me  go.  You  have  no  right 
to  detain  me.  I  have  never  injured  you.'  They 
began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  when  I  added, 
'I  am  in  your  hands,  and  you  must  do  with 
me  whatever  God  permits  you  to  do.'  " 

I  complete  the  account  in  the  words  of  Col. 
Geo.  T.  M.  Davis,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Alton, 
on  whom  some  of  the  mob  called  the  same 


40  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVKJOY 

night  to  secure  his  services  in  their  defense 
should  they  be  arrested.  Col.  Davis  writes: 
"For  a  few  moments  entire  silence  reigned. 
At  last  it  was  broken  by  one  of  the  medical 
men,  who  made  up  in  part  the  disguised  party. 
exclaiming,  'Boys,  I  can't  lay  hands  upon  as 
brave  a  man  as  this  is,'  and  turning  away  was 
followed  by  the  rest."  Mr.  Love  joy  was  al- 
lowed to  go  quietly  home. 

Where  Col.  Davis  obtained  his  information 
as  to  the  conclusion  of  the  assault  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  following  record  in  his  auto- 
biography, page  62.  "About  11  o'clock  that 
night.  I  was  awakened  from  sleep  by  a  violent 
knocking  at  the  door  of  my  residence.  Upon 
my  opening  it,  there  stood  the  two  physicians 
and  a  third  member  of  their  tar  and  feathering 
party,  impatiently  awaiting  my  appearance. 
The  whole  three  at  one  time  or  another  had 
been  clients  of  mine,  and  as"  soon  as  I  admitted 
them  to  my  house.  Dr.  -  -  related  the 

particulars  of  their  escapade,  and  at  the  conclu- 
sion told  me  the  sole  object  of  their  visit  at 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  41 

so  unseemly  an  hour  of  the' night  was  to  retain 
me  in  advance,  should  any  friends  of  Mr.  Love- 
joy  institute  legal  proceedings  against  them  or 
any  others  of  their  associates,  for  an  unlawful 
attempt  to  do  bodily  injury  to  Mr.  Love  joy/' 

The  date  of  this  memorable  event  was  Aug. 
31st,  1837,  and  at  a  later  hour  the  same  night, 
as  already  stated,  the  press  was  destroyed — 
the  second  press  to  fall  a  victim  before  the 
violence  of  the  enemies  of  free  discussion  and 
human  liberty. 

Immediately  offers  of  a  new  press  were  made 
to  the  editor,  some  of  them  from  distant  states. 
The  friends  of  the  cause  held  a  meeting  at 
Alton  to  favor  the  continued  publication  of  the 
paper.  Money  was  furnished  and  a  new  press 
was  at  once  ordered.  But  inasmuch  as  there 
was  a  difference  of  opinion  among  his  friends, 
Mr.  Lovejoy  at  first  decided  to  surrender  the 
editorship  unconditionally.  Afterwards,  how- 
ever, he  concluded  to  leave  the  decision  to  all 
his  friends,  and  if  they  so  advised,  to  yield  his 
position  to  a  successor.  In  leaving  the  question 


42  ELIJAH     I'ARISH    LOVEJOY 

with  them  he  earnestly  urged  that  they  act 
without  reference  to  his  personal  feelings.  He 
\vrote :  "I  should  be  false  to  the  Master  1 
serve,  and  of  whose  gospel  I  am  a  minister, 
should  I  allow  my  own  interests  (real  or  sup- 
posed), to  be  placed  in  competition  with  His. 
Indeed,  I  have  no  interest,  no  wish,  at  least  I 
think  I  have  none;  I  know  I  ought  to  have 
none  other  than  such  as  are  subordinate  to  His 
will.  Be  it  yours,  brethren,  to  decide  what  is 
best  for  the  cause  of  truth,  most  for  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  rest 
assured — whatever  my  own  private  judgment 
may  be — of  my  cordial  acquiescence  in  your 
decision.  *  *  *  I  am  ready  to  go  forward 
if  you  say  so,  and  equally  ready  to  yield  to  a 
successor,  if  such  be  your  opinion.  Yet  let  me 
say,  promptly,  that  in  looking  back  over  my 
past  labors  as  editor  of  The  Observer,  while  I 
see  many  imperfections,  and  many  errors  and 
mistakes,  I  have  nevertheless  done  the  best 
I  could.  This  I  say  in  the  fear  of  God;  so 
that  if  I  am  to  continue  the  editor,  you  must 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  43 

not  on  the  whole  expect  a  much  better  paper 
than  you  have  had." 

As  to  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Love  joy  was 
held,  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  Moderator  of 
the  Alton  Presbytery.  His  friends  having  been 
appealed  to  by  him,  held  a  meeting,  and  after 
much  deliberation  expressed  their  judgment 
"that  The  Observer  should  be  re-established, 
and  that  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  ought  to  continue 
to  be  its  editor." 

The  new  press  arrived  Sept.  21st,  an  exact 
month  after  the  destruction  of  its  predecessor. 
As  it  was  being  conveyed  to  the  warehouse, 
though  no  one  interfered,  unfriendly  remarks 
were  made  by  some  of  the  bystanders,  showing 
that  the  newly  arrived  packages  were  recog- 
nized by  them  as  parts  of  an  "abolition  press." 
Their  words  of  ridicule  were  that  night  suc- 
ceeded by  deeds  of  violence,  for  before  another 
day  dawned,  this  third  press  was  broken  in 
pieces  and  thrown  into  the  river. 

An  experience  of  Mr.  Lovejoy,  about  ten 
days  later,  at  St.  Charles,  a  city  across  the 


44  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

Mississippi,  in  Missouri,  only  a  few  miles  from 
Alton,  will  show  how  much  more  violent  his 
treatment  would  have  been,  if  he  had  tried  to 
reside  in  a  slave  state.  This  city  was  Mrs. 
Lovejoy's  home,  and  they  were  visiting1  her 
mother,  having  with  them  their  sick  child.  Mr. 
Lovejoy  had  preached  twice  on  Sunday  for  his 
friend,  Rev.  Wm.  M.  Campbell,  the  pastor  of 
the  church,  who  had  gone  with  him  to  the 
home  of  his  mother-in-law.  While  they  were 
conversing  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  called  for  from 
outside  the  house.  Upon  his  responding,  a~- 
he  wrote,  "They  immediately  rushed  up  the 
portico,  and  two  of  them,  coming  into  the  room, 
laid  hold  of  me.  One  of  them  was  formerly  a 
Virginian,  the  other  called  himself  a  Missis- 
sippian.  I  asked  them  what  they  wanted  of 
me.  'We  want  you  down  stairs,  d — n  you/ 
was  the  reply.  They  accordingly  commenced 
attempting  to  pull  me  out  of  the  house.  And 
not  succeeding  immediately,  one  of  them  began 
to  beat  me  with  his  fists.  By  this  time  Mrs. 
Lovejoy  had  come  into  the  room.  In  doing 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  45 

so  she  had  to  make  her  way  through  the  mob 
on  the  portico,  who  attempted  to  hinder  her 
from  coming  by  rudely  pushing  her  back. 
She  flew  to  where  I  was,  and  throw- 
ing her  arms  around  me,  boldly  faced  the 
mobites,  with  a  fortitude  and  self-devotion, 
which  none  but  a  woman  and  a  wife  ever  dis- 
played. While  they  were  attempting,  with 
oaths  and  curses,  to  drag  me  from  the  room, 
she  was  smiting  them  in  the  face  with  her 
hands,  or  clinging  to  me  to  aid  in  resisting 
their  efforts,  and  telling  them  that  they  must 
first  take  her  before  they  should  have  her  hus- 
band. Her  energetic  measures,  seconded  by 
those  of  her  mother  and  sister,  induced  the 
assailants  to  let  me  go,  and  leave  the  room." 
TUit  they  soon  returned,  and  although  Mrs. 
Lovejoy  was  lying  upon  the  bed  in  a  hysterical 
condition,  and  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  holding  the 
sick  child  in  his  arms,  they  broke  into  the  room, 
rushed  up  to  the  bedside,  and  attempted  to 
force  him  from  the  house.  He  adds :  "I  sup- 
pose they  would  have  succeeded,  had  not  my 


46  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVKJOY 

friend,  \\'m.  A!.  Campbell,  at  this  juncture, 
come  in,  and  with  undaunted  boldness,  assisted 
me  in  freeing  myself  from  their  clutches.  They 
did  not,  however,  leave  the  yard  of  the  house, 
which  was  full  of  drunken  wretches,  uttering 
the  most  awful  and  soul-chilling  oaths  and 
imprecations,  and  swearing  they  would  have 
me  at  all  hazards.  *  *  *  They  were  armed 
with  pistols  and  dirks,  and  one  pistol  was  dis- 
charged, whether  at  any  one,  I  do  not  know. 
The  fellow  from  Mississippi  seemed  the  most 
bent  on  my  destruction.  He  did  not  appear  at 
all  drunken,  but  both  in  words  and  actions 
manifested  the  most  fiendish  malignity  of  feel- 
ing and  purpose." 

\Yhat  these  infuriated  men  would  have  done 
if  he  had  fallen  into  their  hands  it  is  easy  to 
conjecture.  The  only  safe  course  seemed  to 
be  to  escape  beyond  their  reach.  Finding  an 
opportunity  of  doing  this,  he  slipped  away  in 
the  darkness,  and  after  going  about  a  mile, 
secured  a  horse  and  was  able  to  reach  Alton 
in  safety. 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  47 

Over  against  the  strong  and  violent  pro- 
slavery  sentiment  of  the  South,  as  indicated  by 
the  incident  just  narrated,  there  was  at  the 
North  a  correspondingly  intense  anti-slavery 
sentiment,  nowhere  more  marked  than  in 
Ohio.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  from 
that  section  of  the  country,  as  was  understood, 
came  the  funds  for  the  purchase  of  a  new 
press,  but  where  it  was  to  be  set  up  was  uncer- 
tain, since  a  request  had  been  received  from 
Quincy,  111.,  to  make  that  city  the  future  loca- 
tion of  The  Observer,  and  there  were  strong 
reasons  for  complying  with  the  request. 

But  now  the  time  approached  for  the  pro- 
posed meeting  of  anti-slavery  men  at  Upper 
Alton,  to  form  an  Illinois  Anti-Slavery  Society. 
About  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  state,  all  north  of  Alton, 
had  signed  the  call  for  this  convention.  Some 
of  them  were  aged  clergymen,  highly  esteemed 
by  Mr.  Love  joy,  and  he  looked  to  this  repre- 
sentative meeting  to  decide  as  to  the  future  lo- 
cation of  the  paper.  The  convention  met  Oct. 


48  ELIJAH     PARISH    LOYKJOY 

26th,  1837,  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Upper 
Alton.  The  venerable  Dr.  Gideon  Blackburn 
was,  by  general  consent,  called  to  the  chair. 
I  cannot  dwell  upon  the  events  of  that  mockery 
of  a  convention.  Suffice  to  say  that  it  was 
actually  captured  by  pro-slavery  men,  one  of 
whom,  the  Attorney  General  of  the  state,  who 
in  this  meeting  went  so  far  in  the  expression 
of  his. anger  as  to  shake  his  fist  in  Mr.  Love- 
joy's  face,  succeeded  in  having  himself  put  on 
the  Business  Committee,  with  two  good  men, 
one  of  them  Dr.  Edward  Beecher,  President 
of  Illinois  College.  When  this  committee 
brought  in  their  report,  the  Attorney  General 
presented  a  minority  report,  which  the  cap- 
tured convention  adopted,  and  then,  at  the  end 
of  the  second  session,  adjourned  sine  die! 

Immediately  the  real  friends  of  the  cause, 
for  which  the  convention  had  been  called,  met 
at  the  private  residence  of  Rev.  T.  B.  Hurlbut, 
formed  a  State  Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  chose 
Rev.  E.  P.  Lovejoy,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
After  a  full  discussion  of  the  question  of  The 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  49 

Observer,  they  recommended  Mr.  Lovejoy  to 
continue  its  publication  in  Alton.  It  is  proper 
to  add,  however,  that  many  were  opposed  to 
this  decision  without  some  assurrance  from  the 
city  of  Alton  of  the  maintenance  of  law  and 
order  instead  of  mob  rule.  It  was  therefore 
not  absolutely  certain  that  Air.  Lovejoy  might 
not  take  the  paper  to  Quincy,  111. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Alton,  Dr.  Edward  Beecher  made 
an  address  to  the  friends  of  free  speech,  in 
which  he  favored  defending  Mr.  Lovejoy 
against  all  opposition.  He  was  interrupted  by 
a  stone  thrown  through  a  window.  Immedi- 
ately the  order  was  given  from  the  gallery, 
"To  Arms,"  and  the  church  door  was  at  once 
guarded  by  armed  men.  This  prevented  any 
further  disturbance,  and  Dr.  Beecher  finished 
his  address.  Such  prompt  show  of  readiness 
to  resist  violence  was  the  result  of  a  conference 
between  Mr.  Lovejoy  in  company  with  some 
of  his  friends  and  the  Mayor,  which  had  been 
followed  by  the  organization  of  a  company  of 


50  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVKJOY 

about  fifty  men.  It  was  some  of  this  company 
who  responded  to  the  order  of  their  captain, 
and  some  of  the  same  men  defended  the  fourth 
press  in  the  warehouse  a  few  days  later.  They 
understood  that  they  were  acting  with  the  au- 
thority of  the  Mayor. 

Only  one  other  meeting  remains  to  be  con- 
sidered— a  meeting  of  two  sessions.  It  was 
held  Xov.  2d  and  3d,  three  days  after  the  meet- 
ing in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  which  Dr. 
Beecher  had  been  interrupted  in  his  address. 
At  the  first  session  of  this  last  meeting  Dr. 
Beecher  presented  resolutions,  which  set  forth 
in  positive  language  the  invaluable  right  of 
free  discussion,  and  called  for  the  maintenance 
of  this  right  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Love  joy  and 
The  Observer.  These  resolutions  were  re- 
ferred to  a  committee  of  which  the  aforesaid 
Attorney  General  was  a  member,  to  report  on 
the  following  day.  At  the  second  session,  the 
following  day,  a  resolution,  introduced  by  the 
Attorney  General,  was  promptly  and  unani- 
mously adopted,  limiting  participation  in  the 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  51 

meeting  to  citizens  of  Madison  county.  Others 
were  to  consider  themselves  as  only  "welcome 
spectators."  Among  these  Dr.  Beecher,  of 
Jacksonville,  Morgan  County,  was  of  course 
included.  The  committee  then  reported  a  series 
of  resolutions  as  a  substitute  for  those  referred 
to  them.  As  finally  adopted,  the  new  resolu- 
tions recommended  abstinence  from  violence, 
and  moderation  in  discussion,  but  demanded 
that  the  editor  of  The  Observer  be  no  longer 
identified  with  any  newspaper  established  in 
Alton.  One  member  of  the  committee,  how- 
ever, Winthrop  S.  Oilman,  protested  against 
the  substitution  of  the  new  resolutions,  and 
expressed  .the  opinion  that  "the  rigid  enforce- 
ment of  the  law  would  prove  the  only  sure 
protection  of  the  rights  of  citizens,  and  the 
only  safe  remedy  for  similar  excitements  in 
the  future." 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Oilman's  earnest  words 
of  protest,  Mr.  Lovejoy  made  his  last  recorded 
public  address  as  follows :  "Mr.  Chairman,  it 
is  not  true,  as  has  been  charged  upon  me,  that 


52  ELIJAH   PARISH    LOVEJOY 

I  hold  in  contempt  the  feelings  and  sentiments 
of  this  community  with  reference  to  the  ques- 
tion which  is  now  agitating  it.  I  respect  and 
appreciate  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  my  fel- 
low citizens,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  painful 
and  unpleasant  duties  of  my  life  that  I  am 
called  upon  to  act  in  opposition  to  them.  If 
you  suppose,  sir,  that  I  have  published  senti- 
ments contrary  to  those  generally  held  in  this 
community,  because  I  delighted  in  differing 
from  them,  or  in  occasioning  a  disturbance, 
you  have  entirely  misapprehended  me.  But, 
sir,  while  I  value  the  good  opinion  of  my  fel- 
low citizens  as  highly  as  any  one,  I  may  be 
permitted  to  say  that  I  am  governed  by  higher 
considerations  than  either  the  favor  or  the  fear 
of  man.  I  am  impelled  to  the  course  I  have 
taken  because  I  fear  God.  As  I  shall  answer 
to  my  God  in  the  great  day,  I  dare  not  aban- 
don my  sentiments,  or  cease  in  all  proper  ways 
to  propagate  them. 

"I,  Mr.  Chairman,  have  not  desired  or  asked 
any   compromise.     I   have  asked   for   nothing 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN*.  53 

but  to  be  protected  in  my  rights  as  a  citizen — 
rights  which  God  has  given  me,  and  which 
are  guaranteed  to  me  by  the  Constitution  of 
my  country.  Have  I,  sir,  been  guilty  of  any 
infraction  of  the  laws?  Whose  good  name 
have  I  injured?  When  and  where  have  I 
published  anything  injurious  to  the  reputation 
of  Alton?  Have  I  not  on  the  other  hand, 
labored,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  my  fellow 
citizens,  to  promote  the  reputation  and  inter- 
ests of  this  city?  What,  sir,  I  ask,  has  been 
my  offense?  Put  your  finger  upon  it — define 
it — and  I  stand  ready  to  answer  for  it.  If  I 
have  committed  any  crime,  you  can  easily  con- 
vict me.  You  have  (your)  juries,  and  you 
have  your  attorney  (looking  at  the  Attorney 
General),  and  I  have  no  doubt  you  can  convict 
me.  But  if  I  have  been  guilty  of  no  violation 
of  law,  why  am  I  hunted  up  and  down  con- 
tinually like  a  partridge  upon  the  mountains? 
Why  am  I  threatened  with  the  tar  barrel? 
WThy  am  I  waylaid  every  day,  and  from  night 
to  night,  and  my  life  in  jeopardy  every  hour? 


54  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVEJOY 

"You  have,  sir,  as  the  lawyers  say.  made  up 
a  false  issue;  there  are  not  two  parties  between 
whom  there  can  be  a  compromise.  I  plant 
myself,  sir,  down  on  my  unquestionable  rights. 
and  the  question  to  be  decided  is,  whether  I 
shall  be  protected  in  the  exercise  and  enjoy- 
ment of  those  rights. — that  is  the  question,  sir: 
— whether  my  property  shall  be  protected ; 
whether  I  shall  be  suffered  to  go  home  to  my 
family  at  night  without  being  assailed,  and 
threatened  with  tar  and  feathers,  and  assas- 
sination ;  whether  my  afflicted  wife,  whose  life 
has  been  in  jeopardy,  from  continued  alarm 
and  excitement,  shall  night  after  night  be 
driven  from  a  sick  bed  into  the  garret,  to 
save  her  life  from  the  brick  bats  and  violence 
of  the  mobs;  that,  sir.  is  the  question." 

This  reference  to  the  sufferings  of  his  de- 
voted wife,  on  his  account,  so  affected  the 
speaker  that  he  lost  his  self  control,  and  gave 
way  to  grief.  A  wave  of  sympathy  swept  over 
his  hearers,  some  of  whom  wept.  Even  his 
enemies  wete  affected.  Regaining  self  control 


AS   A    CHRISTIAN.  55 

he  proceeded :  "Forgive  me,  sir,  that  I  have 
thus  betrayed  my  weakness.  It  was  the  allu- 
sion to  my  family  that  overcame  my  feelings. 
Not,  sir,  I  assure  you,  from  any  fears  on  my 
part.  I  have  no  personal  fears.  Not  that  I 
feel  able  to  contest  the  matter  with  the  whole 
community.  I  know  perfectly  well  I  am  not. 
I  know,  sir,  you  can  tar  and  feather  me,  hang 
me  up.  or  put  me  into  the  Mississippi  without 
the  least  difficulty.  But  what  then?  Where 
shall  I  go?  I  have  been  made  to  feel  that 
if  I  am  not  safe  in  Alton,  I  shall  not  be  safe 
anywhere.  I  recently  visited  St.  Charles  to 
bring  home  my  family,  and  was  torn  from  their 
frantic  embrace  by  a  mob.  I  have  been  beset 
night  and  day  at  Alton.  And  now  if  I  leave 
here  and  go  elsewhere,  violence  may  overtake 
me  in  my  retreat,  and  I  have  no  more  claim 
upon  the  protection  of  any  other  community 
than  I  have  upon  this ;  and  I  have  concluded 
after  consultation  with  my  friends,  and  ear- 
nestly seeking  counsel  of  God,  to  remain  at 
Alton,  and  here  to  insist  on  protection  in  the 


56  ELIJAH   PARISH    LOVEJOY 

exercise  of  my  rights.  If  the  civil  authorities 
refuse  to  protect  me,  I  must  look  to  God ;  and 
if  I  die,  I  have  determined  to  make  my  grave 
in  Alton.". 

One  who  was  present  at  the  meeting  bears 
this  impressive  testimony :  "I  cannot  attempt 
to  describe  his  manner.  He  was  calm  and 
serious,  but  firm  and  decided.  Not  an  epithet 
or  unkind  allusion  escaped  his  lips,  notwith- 
standing he  knew  he  was  in  the  midst  of  those 
who  were  seeking  his  blood,  and  notwithstand- 
ing he  was  well  aware  of  the  influence  that 
that  meeting,  if  it  should  not  take  the  right 
turn,  would  have  in  infuriating  the  mob  to  do 
their  work.  He  and  his  friends  had  prayed 
earnestly  that  God  would  overrule  the  delibera- 
tions of  that  meeting  for  good.  He  had  been 
all  day  communing  with  God.  His  counte- 
nance, the  subdued  tones  of  his  voice,  and  his 
whole  appearance  indicated  a  mind  in  a  pecu- 
liarly heavenly  frame,  and  ready  to  acquiesce 
in  the  will  of  God,  whatever  that  might  be. 
I  confess  that  I  regarded  him  at  the  time,  in 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  57 

view  of  all  the  circumstances,  as  presenting  a 
spectacle  of  moral  sublimity,  such  as  I  had 
never  before  witnessed,  and  such  as  the  world 
seldom  affords." 

Only  three  days  later,  Nov.  6th,  the  fourth 
press  arrived,  and  was  stored  in  the  warehouse 
of  Godfrey  and  Oilman,  being  "snugly  packed 
away  in  our  third  story,  guarded  by  volunteer 
citizens  with  their  guns,"  to  use  the  language 
of  Mr.  Oilman,  a  member  of  the  firm.  It  was 
he  who  had  insisted,  at  the  late  meeting,  that 
Air.  Lovejoy  should  be  protected  in  his  rights 
of  free  speech.  His  conduct  corresponded  with 
his  expressed  opinion.  He  afterwards  wrote : 
"The  Mayor  had  been  consulted  by  me,  and 
was  present  when  the  press  was  landed,  and 
all  arrangements  were  made,  I  believe,  with 
his  sanction.  He  told  us  he  would  make  us  all 
special  constables,  and  would  order  us  to  fire 
on  the  mob,  if  we  were  assailed."  The  number 
of  well-armed  citizens  the  night  the  press  was 
received,  was  about  sixty,  all  ready  to  defend 
it  by  force  of  arms  against  all  assailants.  Mr. 


TO  ELIJAH    PARISH    LOVKJOY 

Tanner  gives  a  fac-simile  of  the  order  to  the 
party  of  defenders  on  the  ground  floor  of  the 
warehouse,  as  follows :  "You  will  hold  your 
fire  until  the  second  and  third  stories  have 
fired,  and  don't  waste  a  single  charge.  Have 
a  light  and  other  preparations  to  reload." 

It  is  well  to  remember  these  preparations  to 
resist  the  slave-  power,  and  their  significance, 
to  the  credit  of  much  stigmatized  Alton,  which 
had  the  misfortune  to  be  the  scene  of  the  first 
bloodshed  in  the  inevitable  conflict,  that,  before 
it  ended,  deluged  the  land  with  blood.  It  is 
a  question  impossible  to  be  answered  with  cor- 
rectness, but  for  its  suggestiveness  well  worth 
asking,  What  town  of  the  size  of  Alton,  on 
the  border  of  a  slave  state,  would  have  fur- 
nished as  many  volunteers  from  among  its' 
citizens  to  arm  themselves  for  the  protection 
of  an  anti-slavery  press  at  that  period  of  the 
conflict?  Judging  from  Mr.  Lovejoy's  own 
words,  such  was  the  spirit  of  the  times,  that 
he  did  not  know  a  place  where  he  would  be 
safer  than  in  Alton ! 
It 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  59 

During'  the  day  following  the  arrival  of  the 
fourth  press  the  city  was  quiet,  and  in  the 
evening',  although  the  defenders  of  the  previous 
night  assembled,  it  was  with  expressions  of 
mutual  congratulation  rather  than  of  appre- 
hension. Mr.  Oilman,  however,  intending  him- 
self to  stand  guard  in  his  warehouse  all  night, 
asked  some  of  his  friends  to  remain  with  him 
and  nineteen  remained.  About  10  o'clock  they 
became  aware  that  a  crowd  had  gathered. 
Soon  the  demand  was  made  for  the  surrender 
of  the  press.  Shots  were  fired  on  both  sides. 
A  man  in  the  mob  was  killed.  Threats  were 
made  to  set  the  warehouse  on  fire.  A  ladder 
was  placed  against  the  building  and  a  man  be- 
gan to  ascend  it  to  carry  out  the  threat.  Vol- 
unteers were  called  for  from  the  defenders 
inside  the  warehouse  to  go  out  and  fire  upon 
this  man.  Mr.  Lovejby  was  one  of  three  who 
responded.  Two  of  the  three  were  hit  by  shots 
from  the  mob.  Mr.  Lovejoy,  shot  fatally,  five 
balls  being  lodged  in  his  body,  had  strength 
enough  to  run  up  stairs  into  the  counting  room. 


60  ELIJAH    PARISH    L-OVEJOY 

where  he  immediately  expired.  This  was  Xov. 
7th,  1837.  The  next  day  he  would  have  been 
thirty-five  years  old. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  influence 
of  this  tragic  death,  in  view  of  all  its  aggra- 
vating circumstances,  upon  the  cause  in  which 
the  precious  life  was  laid  down.  Of  that  in- 
fluence, Dr.  Samuel  \Yillard,  of  Chicago,  at 
the  time  of  the  tragedy  a  resident  of  Upper 
Alton,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Lovejoy, 
wrote  more  than  forty  years  after  the  event : 
"The  wide-spread  and  deep  indignation  that 
stirred  myriads  of  hearts  throughout  the  land 
did  more  to  drive  nails  in  the  coffin  of  slavery 
than  Mr.  Lovejoy  could  have  done  in  a  long 
life."  Xo  better  evidence  of  the  impression 
made  by  the  event  upon  the  minds  of  thought- 
ful men  could  be  possible  than  that  afforded 
by  the  words  of  ex-president  John  Quincy 
Adams,  who  wrote  so  soon  afterwards,  of  its 
having  given  "a  shock  as  of  an  earthquake 
throughout  this  continent,  which  will  be  felt 
in  the  most  distant  regions  of  the  earth." 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  61 

I  will  here  mention  but  one  instance  of  this 
influence — the  occasion  it  afforded  for  the  en- 
trance of  Wendell  Phillips  upon  his  life-long 
career  of  opposition  to  American  slavery. 
After  the  news  of  the  Alton  riots  and  the  mur- 
der of  Lovejoy  reached  the  city  of  Boston,  an 
indignation  meeting,  called  by  Win.  Ellery 
Channing  and  kindred  spirits,  was  held  in 
Faneuil  Hall.,  Dec.  8th,  1837.  Strong  resolu- 
tions, prepared  by  Dr.  Channing,  were  pre- 
sented. These  resolutions  were  opposed  by 
the  Attorney  General  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts,  in  an  extended  speech,  in  which 
he  likened  the  rioters  of  Alton  to  the  "orderly 
mob,"  which  threw  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston 
harbor.  He  charged  Lovejoy  with  presump- 
tion, and  declared  that  he  "died  as  the  fool 
dieth."  Wendell  Phillips,  then  a  young  man, 
was  in  the  audience.  Though  a  lawyer,  his 
voice  had  never  been  heard  in  Faneuil  Hall. 
But  he  came  forward,  and  answered  the  Attor- 
ney General  in  an  impromptu  speech,  which 
took  the  audience  bv  storm.  As  to  the  merits 


62  ELIJAH   PARISH   LOVEJOY 

of  this  speech,  George  \Yilliam  Curtis,  in  his 
eulogy  pronounced  at  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Phil- 
lips, said  that  there  had  been  three  great 
speeches  in  the  history  of  our  country — one, 
the  speech  of  Patrick  Henry,  which  closes  with 
the  familiar  words,  "Give  me  liberty  or  give 
me  death;"  one,  (though  not  in  this  order  of 
time),  the  brief  address  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
at  the  dedication  of  the  Gettysburg  cemetery ; 
one,  the  speech  of  Wendell  Phillips,  at  the 
meeting  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  to  denounce  the 
murder  of  Lovejoy.  "These  three,"  said  Mr. 
Curtis,  "and  there  is  no  fourth."  Any  one  who 
will  read  the  speech,  being  familiar  with  the 
circumstances  of  its  delivery,  will  not  be  dis- 
posed to  dispute  this  claim  for  it  of  surpassing- 
excellence.  We  know  how  determinedly  Wen- 
dell Phillips  sprang  into  the  arena,  and  en- 
gaged in  a  life-long  conflict  with  American 
slavery;  what  merciless  blows  he  dealt;  how 
he  never  slacked  his  hand  till  the  monster  lay 
lifeles?  in  the  dust. 

Two  vears  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  63 

Air.  Phillips  came  to  Alton  and  delivered  one 
of  his  lectures  in  the  City  Hall.  The  next  day 
he  went  to  the  cemetery  and  stood  beside  the 
gra've  of  Lovejoy.  He  visited  also  other  mem- 
orable spots.  Before  he  left  the  city,  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Anti-Slavery  Standard.  The 
letter  is  dated  Alton.  111..  April  14th,  1867,  and 
is  in  part  as  follows  :  "I  lectured  here  last 
night,  and  to-day  have  been  visiting  the  places 
made  historical  and  sacred  by  the  labors  and 
martyrdom  of  Lovejoy.  Hitherto  the  name  of 
the  city  brought  always  but  one  idea  to  my 
mind,  and  I  could  never  hear  it  or  see  it  in 
print,  without  a  shudder.  A  cordial  welcome 
here,  and  by  men  who  have  done  good  service 
in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the  bat- 
tle was  for  a  time  so  hot,  has  broken  that  spell, 
and  I  trust  hereafter  to  think  of  it  as  the  home 
of  brave  and  true  men.  I  can  never 

forget  the  quick,  sharp  agony  of  that  hour 
which  brought  us  news  of  Lovejoy's  death. 
We  had  not  fully  learned  the  blood-thirstiness 
of  the  slave  power.  When  John  Brown  con- 


64  ELIJAH   PARISH   LOVEJOY 

fronted  it  at  Harper's  Ferry,  we  had  long 
known  the  risk  that  any  man  ran  who  defied 
the  fiend.  But  twenty  years  before,  Garrison 
had  just  waked  up  to  its  horrors,  and  we  saw 
it  but  blindly.  The  gun  fired  at  Lovejoy  was 
like  that  of  Sumter — it  -scattered  a  world  of 
dreams !  Looking  back,  how  wise  as  well  as 
noble  his  course  seems !  Incredible,  almost, 
that  we  should  ever  have  been  obliged  to  de- 
fend his  'prudence' !  What  world-wide  bene- 
factors these  imprudent  men  are — the  Love- 
joys,  the  Browns,  the  Garrisons,  the  saints  and 
martyrs  !  How  prudently  most  men  creep  into 
nameless  graves,  zvhile  noiv  and  then  one  or 
two  forget  themselves  into  immortality!" 

Is  not  exactly  this  the  secret  of  Lovejoy's 
consecrated  life?  He  forgot  himself  in  'his 
devotion  to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men.  He 
Io9ked  not  on  his  own  things  but  on  the  things 
of  others,  and  so  this  mind  was  in  him,  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus. 

As  we  of  Alton,  and  those  who  come  after 
us,  lift  our  eyes  to  the  familiar  winged  figure 


AS    A    CHRISTIAN.  65 

of  victory,  poised  so  lightly  on  the  summit  of 
the  Love  joy  monument,  as  if  about  to  fly 
abroad,  and  proclaim  in  trumpet  tones,  to  all 
the  world,  the  triumph  of  free  speech  and 
human  liberty,  let  our  ears  be  quick  to  catch 
the  announcement,  in  gentler  tones,  of  another 
triumplv — even  the  triumph  of  the  grace  of  God 
in  the  heart  of  our  now  honored  fellow  citizen, 
delivering  him  from  all  fear  of  man,  and  filling 
him  with  a  great  love  so  akin  to  love  divine, 
that  he  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto  himself 
in  his  service  of  his  fellow  men,  but  cheerfully 
resisted  evil  even  unto  blood,  striving  against 
sin.  So  shall  he,  though  dead,  yet  speak  to 
us,  and  to  all  who  know  the  story  of  his  life, 
of  a  power  able  and  ever  ready  to  help  us  in 
our  conflict  with  evil,  that  we  also  may  serve 
our  generations  by  the  will  of  God  as  he  served 
his. 


LOVEJOY  MONUMENT. 

COST,  $30,000. 
DEDICATED  AT  ALTON,  ILL.,   Nov.   8,  1897. 


Nat? 

The  story  of  ELIJAH  PARISH  LOVEJOY,  AS 
A  CHRISTIAN,  when  first  told  in  the  preced- 
ing address,  was  intended  for  the  information 
of  the  people  of  Alton  and  vicinity,  who  were 
anticipating  the  erection  of  a  monument  in 
honor  of  the  martyr.  These,  af  course,  do 
not  need  to  be  informed  as  to  the  Lovejoy 
monument,  for  more  than  ten  years  past  so 
prominent  an  object  in. the  "Bluff  City."  But 
it  is  now  hoped  that  the  story,  as  published  in 
the  present  form,  will  have  many  besides  local 
readers,  who  cannot  but  be  interested  in  know- 
ing how  the  city  of  Alton,  and  the  state  of 
Illinois,  at  length,  honored  the  now  famous 
martyr.  A  view  of  the  monument  is,  there- 
fore, herewith  presented,  as  given  in  the  Sou- 
venir Booklet  distributed  by  the  Monument 
Association,  with  a  description  in  detail  of 
the  noble  structure,  and  a  full  report  of  the  im- 


68  APPENDIX. 

pressive  exercises,  and  eloquent  addresses  of 
the  Dedication.  The  Booklet  was  admirably 
prepared  by  Secretary  W.  T.  Norton  of  the 
Monument  Association,  who  has  cordially  con- 
sented to  the  free  use  of  its  contents  for  the 
information  of  readers  of  this  publication. 
While  the  extracts  introduced  will  necessarily 
be  limited,  they  will  leave  no  room  for  doubt 
that  the  celebration  was  altogether  worthy  of 
the  occasion.  The  additional  information 
given  in  the  Appendix,  and  the  illustrations 
presented  are  pertinent  to  the  subject  of  the 
address,  and  as  not  otherwise  easily,  if  at  all, 
accessible,  will  be  prized  by  local  as  well  as 
other  readers. 

The  following  statement  will  show  the 
features  of  the  information  now  appended : 

VlEW  OF  THE  LOVEJOY  Moxr.MEXT,  WITH  DESCRIP- 
TION IN  DETAIL. 

EXERCISES  OF  DEDICATION. 

PRESIDENT'S  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RISE  OF  THE  MONU- 
MENT. 

THE  LOVEJOY   MONUMENT  ASSOCIATION. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  ADDRESSES  OF  Hox.  THOMAS  DIM- 
MOCK,  REV.  J.  M.  WlLKERSOX,  AXD  I.IF.UT.  GOVERNOR 
NORTHCOTT.  , 

NAMES  OF  HONORED  Gri.srs. 


APPENDIX.  69 


ViEW  OF  THE  LOVEJOY  HOME  IN  ALTON,  WITH  SOME 
INCIDENTS  OF  ITS  HISTORY,  ETC. 

PORTRAIT  OF  HON.  OWEN  LOVEJOY,  M.  C,  AND 
BRIEF  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE. 

THE  BRAVE  DEFENDERS  OF  THE  FOURTH  PRESS. 

PORTRAIT  OF  WINTHROP  S.  OILMAN,  LOVEJOY'S 
RESOLUTE  CHAMPION. 

PORTRAIT  OF  HENRY  TANNER,  ONE  OF  THE  DEFEND- 
ERS OF  THE  FOURTH  PRESS. 

EARLIER  PORTRAIT  OF  WENDELL  PHILLIPS. 

His  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  DEFENDERS  OF  THE  PRESS,  AND 
THE  CLOSING  PARAGRAP-HS  OF  HIS  FANEUIL  HALL 
SPEECH  IN  1837. 

LATER  PORTRAIT  OF  WENDELL  PHILLIPS. 

His  LETTER  FROM  ALTON  IN  1867. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MONUMENT 

"The  Monument  is  emblematic  of 'the  tri- 
umph of  the  cause  for  which  the  hero  died. 
The  sculptor's  ideal  was  Victory,  and  that 
conception  has  been  expressed  throughout  the 
entire  work.  The  winged  statue  of  Victory 
which  crowns  the  main  shaft  and  the  exultant 
eagles  with  outstretched  wings  surmounting 
the  sentinel  columns,  alike  express  the  idea  of 
triumph  and  consummation.  The  monument 
was  designed  by  Mr.  R.  P.  BRINGHURST,  of 
St.  Louis,  who  associated  with  him  Mr.  Louis 
MULLGARDT,  of  the  same  place,  to  arrange  the 
architectural  features.  The  contract  was  let 
to  the  Culver  Stone  Co.,  of  Springfield,  111., 
and  Hon.  L.  PFEIFFENP.ERGER  supervised  the 
work  for  the  association.  The  Building  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Directors  L.  PFEIFFEN- 


70  APPENDIX. 

BERGER,  JOHN  E.  HAYXER  and  EDWARD  LEVIS. 
with  Hon.  THOMAS  DIM  MOCK,  advisory  mem- 
ber. 

"The  monument,  described  technically,  is  a 
massive  granite  column  some  93  feet  high, 
surmounted  by  a  bronze  statue  of  Victory.  17 
feet  high,  weighing  8,700  pounds.  This  shaft 
in  three  sections,  weighing  respectively  16,  18 
and  22  tons  each,  is  one  of  the  largest  columns 
in  this  country.  The  base  consists  of  a  round 
plinth,  square  cap,  die  and  base  in  form  of  a 
seat.  It  stands  in  the  center  of  a  terrace  40 
feet  in  diameter,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
a  granite  exedra  wall  8  feet  high  on  outside. 
having  a  seat  on  the  inside.  The  terrace  is 
floored  with  6  inch  granite  flagging  and  is 
reached  by  seven  granite  steps.  Two  large 
granite  pedestals,  surmounted  by  ornate  stand- 
ard bronze  tripods,  finish  the  exedra  walls. 
By  the  steps  are  two  granite  sentinel  columns 
30  feet  high,  surmounted  by  bronze  eagles  8 
feet  over  the  wings.  On  each  of  ,the  four 
sides  of  the  die  is  a  bronze  panel  with  an  in- 
scription. The  name  of  ELIJAH  PARISH 
Lov K.JOY  is  placed  in  the  back  of  the  seat  on 
the  inside  of  exedra  in  granite  letters  about  15 
inches  high.  With  the  exception  of  the  bronze 
the  monument  is  built  entirely  of  light  Barre 
granite. 

"It  is  a  magnificent  piece  of  work  from  an 
artistic  standpoint,  and  as  massive  and  firm 
as  the  everlasting  hills.  Its  cost  was  $30,000. 


APPENDIX.  71 

It  is  worthy  of  the  man  and  of  the  cause  for 
which  he  died. 

THE  MONUMENT  INSCRIPTIONS 

"The  idea  of  the  monument  association  in 
preparing  the  inscriptions  was  to  let  LOVEJOY 
speak  for  himself  in  the  three-fold  capacity  of 
editor,  minister  of  the  gospel  and  opponent  of 
slavery,  and  a  quotation  from  his  writings  was 
placed  under  each  of  these  heads.  The  fourth 
inscription  is  in  honor  of  the  men  who  stood 
by  him  in  defense  of  his  rights  and  risked  their 
lives  and  property  for  the  same  cause.  The 
inscriptions  and  historical  data  are : 

(SOUTH  FRONT.) 
(Medallion  of  Love  joy.} 
ELIJAH  P.  LOVEJOY, 

EDITOR    OF    ALTON    OBSERVER, 

Albion,  Maine,  Nov.  8,  1802, 
Alton,  111.  Nov.  7,  1837. 

A    MARTYR    TO    LIBERTY. 

'I  have  sworn  eternal  opposition  to  slavery, 

and  by  the  blessing  of  God,   I  will 

never  go  back.' 

(NORTH  FRONT.) 

CHAMPION  OF  FREE  SPEECH. 

(Cut  of  Love  joy  Press.} 
'But,  gentlemen,  as  long  as  I  am  an  Ameri- 
can  citizen,   and  as  long  as   American   blood 
runs   in   these   veins,    I    shall   hold   myself   at 
liberty  to  speak,  to  write,  to  publish  whatever 


72  APPENDIX. 

I   please  on   any   subject — being  amenable   to 
the  laws  of  my  country  for  the  same.' 

(EAST  PANEL.) 
MINISTER  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 
MODERATOR  OF  THE  ALTON  PRESBYTERY. 
'If  the  laws  of  my  country  fail  to  protect 
me  I  appeal  to  God,  and  with  him  I  cheerfully 
rest  my  cause.     I  can  die  at  my  post  but  I  can- 
not desert  it.' 

(WEST  PANEL.  ) 
SALVE  VICTORES ! 

This  monument  commemorates  the  valor, 
devotion  and  sacrifice  of  the  noble  Defenders 
of  the  Press,  who,  in  this  city,  on  Nov.  7,  1837, 
made  the  first  armed  resistance  to  the  aggres- 
sions of  the  slave  power  in  America. 

In  addition  to  these  epitaphs  in  bronze  the 
following  explanatory  inscriptions  are  placed 
on  the  granite  bases  below  the  urns  : 

Erected, 

by  the  State  of  Illinois, 
and  citizens  of  Alton, 

1896-97. 

Dedicated, 

in  gratitude  to  ( lod. 

and  in  the  love  of  Liberty, 

November  8th,  1897." 

•    EXERCISES  OF  DEDICATION  DAY 

"On  Monday  afternoon,  November  8th, 
1897,  amid  "booming  of  cannon,  the  cadence  of 


APPENDIX.  73 

victorious  music  and  the  thrill  of  oratory,  the 
Lovejoy  monument  was  dedicated  to  the  mem- 
ory of  that  great  man  who,  as  the  fearless  fore- 
runner of  Emancipation  and  the  champion  of 
the  right  of  free  speech  will  be  honored  as  long 
as  this  republic  stands.  For  a  generation  de- 
spised by  all  but  the  few  who  stood  with  him 
in  defense  of  his  rights,  for  another  generation 
almost  forgotten,  the  work  of  ELIJAH  PARISH 
LOVEJOY  is  at  last  fully  vindicated,  and  the 
people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  and  the  citizens 
of  Alton  have  redeemed  the  debt  of  gratitude, 
so  long  ignored,  by  the  consecration  in  his' 
honor  of  one  of  the  grandest  memorials  ever 
dedicated  to  any  man  or  any  cause. 

"The  first  feature  of  the  program  was  the 
firing  of  the  Governor's  salute  by  the  gun  crew 
of  the  local  division  of  the  Naval  Militia.  This 
took  place  at  2  o'clock  in  Seminary  Park,  Lieut. 
Governor  NORTH  COTT  being  present  with 
members  of  the  Association,  and  Lieutenant  E. 
Y.  GROSSMAN  commanding  the  gun. 

"The  scene  was  then  changed  to  the  Temple, 
where  was  gathered  one  of  the  largest  audi- 
ences ever  brought  together  in  Alton  on  any  oc- 
casion. All  the  Altons  were  represented,  the 
students  of  Shurtleff  College  and  cadets  of  the 


74  APPENDIX. 

Western  Military  Academy,  together  with  the 
Naval  Militia,  being  there  in  full  force.  There 
were  also  many  strangers  present,  who  had 
come  from  other  states  to  be  here  on  this  oc- 
casion, and  occupying  a  box  on  the  east  side  of 
the  house  were  several  members  of  the  Love- 
joy  family,  relatives  of  the  martyr,  who  were 
come  to  see  this  glorious  vindication  of  his 
life  and  work.  On  the  stage  were  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Association,  the  speakers,  other 
guests  of  honor,  the  White  Hussar  band  and 
chorus,  the  latter  composed  of  over  fifty 
voices,  and  under  the  leadership  of  Prof.  W. 
D.  ARMSTRONG.  Mr.  E.  P.  WADE,  President 
of  the  Association,  had  charge  of  the  exercises. 
"The  program  opened  with  music  by  the 
band,  a  stirring  overture  superbly  rendered. 
The  invocation  was  offered  by  Rev.  M.  JAME- 
SON, D.  D.,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion of  1867.  Then  came  the  song  'America' 
beautifully  rendered  by  the  chorus." 

PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS. 

President  E.  P.  Wade,  of  the  Monument 
Association,  then  told  of  the  rise  of  the  monu- 
ment, referring  to  desultory  intentions  in  ear- 


APPENDIX.  75 

Her  years  of  members  of  the  press  and  other 
citizens,  the  existence  in  1867  of  a  Monument 
Association  which  collected  a  small  sum  of 
money,  the  individual  act  of  Hon.  Thomas 
Dimmock  in  placing  over  the  grave  a  marble 
scroll  on  a  granite  base,  and  securing  the 
means  to  build  a  protecting  wall  around  the 
lot.  He  then  referred  to  the  incorporation  of 
the  Lovejoy  Monument  Association,  Jan.  2, 
1886,  which  however,  did  not  really  set  to 
work  until  some  eight  years  later,  when  with 
the  endorsement  of  the  Common  Council  of 
Alton,  and  the  earnest  advocacy  of  the  late 
Hon.  Chas.  A.  Herb,  State  Senator,  an  ap- 
propriation of  $25,000  was  secured  from  the 
Legislature,  the  bill  passing  unanimously  in 
the  Senate,  and  with  only  three  dissenting 
votes  in  the  House.  This  result  was  doubtless 
largely  due  to  the  general  support  of  the  press 
of  the  State.  The  $5,000  needed  additionally 
was  contributed  by  citizens  of  Alton  and  sev- 
eral others  interested  in  the  object. 


76 

CoXTRIIJUTORS    OF    THE    $5.000 

An  analysis  of  the  receipts  acknowledged  in 
the  published  Treasurer's  Report,  shows  99 
separate  contributions  from  Alton ;  from  other 
places  in  Illinois,  28;  Missouri,  10;  Kansas.  3; 
Nebraska,  1 ;  Indiana,  3 ;  Ohio,  1 ;  Xew  York, 
4 ;  Xew  Jersey.  2 ;  Massachusetts,  4 ;  Connec- 
ticut, 2;  Vermont,  2.  Though  the  contribu- 
tions from  the  ten  states  besides  Illinois 
amounted  to  but  $165.18,  they  showed  a  wide- 
spread interest. 

LOVEJOY    MoXf.MKXT   ASSOCIATIOX 

The  -erection  -of  the  monument  was  due  to 
the  persistent  efforts  of  the  members  of  the 
Monument  Association,  and  to  the  \vork  of 
those  whom  they  were  able  to  call  to  their 
assistance.  It  is  well  to  give  these  names  as 
part  of  this  account  of  the  Monument. 

EDWARD  P.  WADE,  President. 

WM.   AKMSTKONT,,   /  'icc-I'rcsidcnt. 

Jmix  E.  HAYXKR.   Treasurer. 

W.  T.  XORTOX,  Secretary. 

("HAS.  lIoi.MHx.  As^t  Secretary. 


APPENDIX.  77. 

BOARD    OF   DIRECTORS  I 

EDWARD  P.  WADK        L.  PFEIFFENBERGER 
WILLIAM  ARMSTRONG  GEORGE  D.  HAVDKN 
JOHN  E.  HAYNER         YV.  A.  HASKELL 
W.  T.  NORTON  DAVID  R.  SPARKS 

CHAS.  HOLDEN  HENRY  WATSON 

HENRY  C.  PRIEST         ISAAC  E.  KELLEY 
EDWARD  LEV  is  H.  G.  M'PiKE 

JOHN  A.  COUSLEY. 

DEDICATORY  ADDRESSES 

Only  extracts  can  be  given  from  the  elo- 
quent addresses  heard  with  great  interest  at 
the  Dedication.  The  first  was  by  Hon.  THOS. 
DIM  MOCK,  of  St.  Eouis,  who  had  done  more 
than  anyone  else  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
Love  joy. 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  THOS.   DIM  MOCK 


"There  is  not,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  any 
country  such  a  monument  as  this  to  one  not 
distinguished  either  in  war  or  statesmanship. 
Yet  not  one  of  those  thus  distinguished  has 
deserved  monumental  honors  better  than  the 
man  who  was  neither  soldier  nor  statesman, 
and  whose  onlv  and  all-sufficient  claim  to  pub- 


78  APPENDIX. 

lie  gratitude  is  his  sublime  devotion  to  great 
and  precious  principles,  and  his  willingness  to 
die- for  them. 

"For  a  few  choice  souls  there  is  immortality 
here  as  well  as  hereafter.  In  yonder  grave  a 
little  handful  of  dust  is  all  that  is  left  of  the 
mortal  part  of  Lovejoy.  But  his  spirit,  'the 
vital  spark  of  heavenly  flame/  that  made  him 
what  he  was,  still  lives  and  breathes  and  burns 
— not  only  here  among  us  to-day,  but  wherever 
his  story  has  been  told  the  wide  world  over. 
And  so  it  must  always  be — as  long  as  unselfish 
and  heroic  manhood  is  recognized  and  appre- 
ciated on  this  earth.  Such  immortality  as 
Lo.vejoy  unconsciously  achieved  is  worth  living 
for — aye,  and  worth  dying  for.  The  granite 
and  the  bronze  raised  to  perpetuate  his  mem- 
ory, must  sooner  or  later  yield  to  the  inexora- 
ble assaults  of  time,  and  mingle  again  with  the 
original  elements  from  whence  they  came. 
But  that  memory,  vivified  by  the  deathless 
spirit,  can  never  perish — it  is  eternal.  He  does 
not  need  this  monument.  It  is  we  who  need 
to  give  it  him.  We  cannot  afford  to  longer 
withhold  such-grateful  memorial  from  one  who 
has  taught  us,  at  such  cost,  the  priceless  lesson 
that  'It  is  necessary^  that  a  man  be  true — not 
•that  he  live.' 

"Lovejey's  name  and  fame  have  long  since 
gone  far  beyond  the  narrow  circle  in  which  he 
moved  while  living,  a  comparatively  unknown 
man.  He  has  passed  into  history;  he  is  an 


APPENDIX.  79 

historical  personage — and  no  history  of  any 
value  of  the  period  to  which  he  belongs  can 
ever  be  written  without  doing  full  justice  to  " 
his  character  and  to  his  work.  He  was  a  fore- 
most figure  in  that  long  and  desperate  strug- 
gle— beginning  in  peace  and  ending  in  war — 
which  swept  human  slavery,  from  American 
soil  forever.  In  that  struggle  he  occupied  a 
unique  position — which,  I  think,  has  not  re- 
ceived the  attention  its  peculiar  features  de- 
serve. He  was  the  first  man  to  publish  an 
anti-slavery  paper  in  a  slave  state;  and,  as  we 
know,  continued  the  publication  until  it  was 
made  impossible  by  the  destruction  of  printing 
material  and  threats  of  worse  things  to  come. 
He  was  certainly  the  first  man — and  thank 
God,  the  last ! — to  lose  his  life  for  publishing 
an  anti-slavery  journal  in  a  free  state. 
###*.#**#  -.;< 

"  'God  buries  his  workmen,  but  carries  on 
His  work' — said  John  Wesley,  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  world's  great  men.  To  the  few 
faithful  friends,  who,  sixty  years  ago,  followed 
Love  joy's  coffin  to  this  then  neglected  spot, 
it  must  have  seemed,  as  they  stood  around  that 
lonely  grave,  as  if  the  work  God  had  given 
him  to  do  ended  in  dismal  failure,  and  that 
his  sun  had  gone  down  in  the  darkness  of 
hopeless  defeat.  But  we  see  now  that  the  work 
was  carried  on  to  triumphant  and  enduring 
success,  and  that  temporary  defeat  was  only 
the  gateway  to  glorious  victory. 


80  APPENDIX. 

"The  column  we  dedicate  to-day  is  a  Column 
of  Victory.  The  sentinel  eagles  at  its  base  are 
the  Eagles  of  Victory.  The  colossal  figure  that 
crowns  its  summit  is  the  Angel  of  Victory. 

"All  hail !  All  hail !  All  hail !  to  this  victor. 
whose  laurels  are  stained  with  no  blood  but  his 
own ! 

"Long  may  this  column  stand,  a  consecrated 
monument  to  faith  and  courage  in  a  righteous 
cause!  Long  may  this  column  stand,  a  noble 
reminder  of  Milton's  noblest  line — 'Peace  hath 
her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war !' 
Long  may  this  column  stand,  to  tell  in  mute 
yet  most  eloquent  language  that 

"  'Whether   on    scaffold   high, 

Or  in  the  battle's  van, 
The  fittest  place  for  man  to  die. 

Is    WHERE   HE   DIES   FOR    MAN.'  " 


The  next  speaker  was  Rev.  J.  M.  WILKER- 
SON,  pastor  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  who  spoke 
as  the  representative  of  the  colored  people. 
His  remarks  were  most  happily  received. 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  MR.  WILKERSOX 

"The  exercises  of  to-day  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  some  one  of  the  race,  whose 
right  he,  Lovejoy,  so  bravely  defended,  speak- 


AIM'KNDIX.  81 

ing  words  in  favor  of  his  noble  actions.  He 
dared  to  speak  for  the  negro,  at  a  time  when 
the  negro  was  not  permitted  to  speak  for  him- 
self. 


"Monuments  reflect  and  perpetuate  the  prin- 
ciples and  actions  of  those  in  whose  honor 
thev  are  erected,  and  should  alike  represent 
the  principles  maintained  by  those  erecting 
them.  The  monument  that  we  dedicate  to-day 
represents  the  ideal  American  citizen,  Elijah 
P.  Love  joy,  who  laid  down  his  life  for  the 
rights  that  belonged  to  him ;  not  him  only,  but 
the  rights  of  every  American  citizen,  be  he 
rich  or  poor,  white  or  black,  the  right  to 
think,  write  or  print  that  thought,  subject  to 
the  law  of  the  land.  Thank  God  the  day  has 
come  when  we,  as  American  citizens,  have  but 
one  master,  and  that  master  is  the  law,  and  to 
its  behest  every  true  American  citizen  will  bow. 
The  unwilling  should  be  made  to  bow  by  the 
mandates  of  its  power.  I  am  here  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  8,000,000  negroes,  who,  for 
the  principles  spoken  and  printed  by  Lovejoy, 
and  the  fortunes  of  war,  have  become  citizens. 
We  love  the  name  of  Lovejoy  for  his  manly 
courage  in  standing  up  for  the  rights  of  men 
and  attesting  that  principle  with  his  life.  The 
keeping  of  his  grave  being  submitted  to  the 
negroes,  I  would  just  say  that  the  interest 
manifested  by  us  in  the  past  may  reflect  our 
action  in  the  future.  Every  position  of  honor 


82  APPENDIX. 

and  trust  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  negroes 
by  city,  county,  state  or  nation,  has  been  filled 
with  such  fidelity  as  reflects  honor  on  the  race. 
Give  us  the  blessings  and  punishments  of  the 
law.  We  ask  nothing  more  and  will  not  quiet- 
ly submit  to  anything  less. 

"In  conclusion  I  would  just  say  that  I  am 
unlike  many  of  my  race,  who  are  continually 
trying  to  apologize  for  being  black.  I  have 
never  felt  it  to  be  necessary  for  me  to  apologize 
for  God  Almighty.  If  he,  in  his  great  wisdom, 
saw  fit  to  make  me  a  black  man,  and  another 
a  white  man,  that  is  none  of  my  business, 
neither  is  it  yours.  Those  who  think  that  God 
made  some  mistake  about  the  matter,  I  refer 
them  to  Him  for  settlement  of  the  matter  and 
not  me.  The  manhood  of  the  negro  has  been 
sufficiently  tried  and  he  is  not  found  wanting. 
When  a  dark  cloud  hung  over  this  nation  and 
her  destiny  was  trembling  in  the  balance,  the 
negro  rushed  to  the  front  and  helped  to  save 
her  flag  from  the  impending  danger ;  he  fought 
to  save  the  flag  of  this  country,  when  he  had  no 
country  of  his  own.  Let  me  say  to  you  to-day, 
you  may  safely  rely  on  the  8,000,000  negroes 
in  any  impending  danger  of  this  country.  We 
have  some  little  clouds  that  trouble  us  on  ac- 
count of  wicked  prejudices,  but  I  like  that 
little  song  that  we  sometimes  sing,  'We  shall 
know  each  other  better,  when  the  mists  have 
rolled  awav.' ' 


APPENDIX.  83 

The  final  address  was  delivered  by  Lieut. 
Governor  W.  A.  XORTHCOTT,  who  had  come  to 
represent  the  Governor  of  the  State. 

ADDRESS  OF  LIEUT.  GOVERNOR  NORTHCOTT 

****^:**** 

"Here  in  Alton,  sixty  years  ago,  appeared 
the  first  cloud  of  the  impending  storm.  A  man, 
persecuted  and  driven  from  a  sister  state,  came 
here  to  make  his  home  and  exercise  the  rights 
guaranteed  him  by  the  laws  of  his  country, 
'the  right  to  speak,  to  write,  and  to  publish 
whatever  he  pleased  upon  any  subject.'  He 
brought  with  him  his  wife  and  little  child,  and 
he  felt  that  he  ought  to  be  protected  by  the 
laws  and  the  flag  of  his  country,  the  country 
his  fathers  had  fought  to  establish.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  great  principle  of  human  liberty 
and  his  right  to  advocate  it.  He  met  opposi- 
tion, as  he  would  have  met  it  at  that  time  any- 
where within  the  confines  of  this  Republic — 
bitter,  stern,  unrelenting  opposition.  Why 
should  this  man  place  himself  in  antagonism 
to  his  fellow  man  ?  Why  should  he  seek  to 
disturb  the  existing  order  of  things  ?  He  had 
his  home  and  his  family,  and  by  abandoning 
this' contest  he  could  have  lived  in  comfort  and 
in  harmony  with  his  fellow  men.  Why  should 
he  have  brought  upon  himself  and  family,  so- 
cial ostracism,  and  why  should  he  have  en- 


84  APPENDIX. 

gaged  in  a  contest  that  brought  to  his  sick  and 
feeble  wife  daily  anxiety,  terror  and  even  mob 
violence?  How  could  he  have  had  the  heart 
and  courage  to  expose  her,  whom  he  loved, 
to  these  terrors  and  dangers  ?  He  was  not  re- 
sponsible for  human  'slavery — he  was  but  one 
man  among  many.  It  would  have  been  easier 
for  him  to  have  drifted  with  the  tide  and  ac- 
quiesced in  all  these  things. 

"But  this  was  not  to  be.  He  'rather  held  it 
better  men  should  perish  one  by  one,  than  that 
earth  should  stand  at  gaze  like  Joshua's  moon 
in  Ajalon.'  He  put  behind  him  his  love  for 
his  wife  and  child,  and  his  tender  care  for 
their  welfare,  and  with  no  thought  for  the  pre- 
servation of  his  own  life,  walked  through  this 
garden  of  Gethsemane.  even  as  One  before 
him  had  walked — because  of  his  great  love  for 
humanity.  In  his  heart  burned  the  fires  of 
liberty  that  could  not  be  quenched.  This  in- 
spiration drove  him  with  relentless  force  on  its 
course.  It  was  with  him  when  he  appealed  to 
his  fellow  citizens  and  said  'if  the  civil  authori- 
ties refuse  to  protect  me  I  must  look  to  God, 
and  if  I  die,  I  am  determined  to  make  my  grave 
in  Alton.' 


"The  death  of  Lovejoy  inspired  the  oratory 
of  Wendell  Phillips,  whose  words  rang  out  in 
favor  of  liberty  like  a  call  to  battle.  It  lent 
strength  to  the  noble  Garrison  in  Massachu- 


APPENDIX.  85 

setts ;  it  was  with  John  Brown  when  he  died 
at  Harper's  Ferry.  It  inspired  Lincoln  in  his 
great  debates  with  Douglas,  here  upon  the 
prairies  of  Illinois — so  open  that  truth  could 
find  no  hiding  place. 

"Then  the  storm  which  had  been  gathering 
for  more  than  a  half  century  broke  with  all  its 
fury  and  violence.  And  upon  its  winds  rode 
the  spirit  of  Lovejoy.  It  heard  the  thunders 
of  the  guns  at  Sumter,  as  they  challenged  this 
young  republic  to  do  battle  for  its  existence. 
It  stood  with  the  legions  of  Illinois  before  the 
fiery  mouths  of  the  cannon  at  Fort  Donelson, 
when  was  given  to  a  faltering  cause  the  cour- 
age of  a  first  great  victory  gained.  It  waited 
with  Grant  in  front  of  Yicksburg  until  that 
place  gave  way  before  his  grim  determination. 
It  was  with  Meade  when  his  cannon  from  the 
heights  of  Gettysburg  threw  shrapnel  into  the 
ranks  of  Lee's  defeated  army.  It  fought  with 
the  boys  in  blue  above  the  clouds  at  Missionary 
Ridge,  and  when  they  met  the  storm  of  leaden 
hail  and  de?.th  at  Chickamaugua.  It  marched 
with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and  rode  with  Logan 
in  front  of  his  victorious  troops  at  Atlanta. 
It  heard  the  glad  acclaim  of  the  people  when 
the  bottom  dropped  out  of  armed  rebellion 
upon  the  field  of  Appomattox.  It  witnessed 
the  grand  review  at  Washington,  when  no 
braver  and  better  soldiers  ever  formed  the  pha- 
lanx of  Csesar  or  followed  the  eagles  of  Napo- 
leon, than  those  battle-scarred  veterans,  who 


86  APPENDIX. 

marched  down  the  streets  of  the  national  capi- 
tal, cheered  by  all  Christendom. 

"Then  it  saw  'lifted  into  the  forum  of  the 
constitution  to  shine  forever  and  ever  like  a 
star,  the  great  principle  of  the  equality  of  all 
men  before  the  law.'  It  saw  the  shackles  fall 
from  four  million  slaves  and  saw  them  lifted 
from  chattels  to  the  rights  of  American  citi- 
zenship. And  then  this  river,  whose  waters 
once  mingled  with  the  blood  of  Love  joy,  in  its 
joyous  march  to  the  gulf  and  from  the  gulf 
to  the  sea,  told  no  story  of  Illinois,  sang  no 
song  of  Missouri.  In  it  was  hot  heard  the 
name  of  any  state,  but  in  that  ceaseless  mur- 
mur between  two  great  oceans  was  heard  a 
grand  anthem  to  the  American  Republic.  In 
it  was  heard  the  voice  of  a  nation,  proclaiming 
the  will  of  the  people.  It  now  flows  by  the 
home  of  no  slave  and  no  bondman. 

"Through  the  death  of  Lovejoy,  through  the 
blood  and  tears  of  a  great  war,  there  was 
breathed  into  this  nation  the  breath  of  a  broader 
national  life.  Human  slavery  was  abolished, 
state  sovereignty  was  dead ;  liberty  of  thought, 
of  speech  and  of  publication  was  established. 
And  if  such  things  be,  then  the  spirit  of  Love- 
joy  hovers  around  the  poor  black  man,  once  a 
slave,  now  a  freeman,  hearing  the  tinkling  of 
the  school  bell  as  it  calls  on  the  children  of  his 
people  to  advance. 

"At  the  request  of  Governor  Tanner,  whose 
representative  I  have  the  honor  of  being,  and 


APPENDIX.  87 

upon  the  invitation  of  your  committee,  I  feel 
it  a  proud  honor  to  accept  from  your  hands,  in 
behalf  of  the  State  of  Illinois  this  beautiful 
monument.  Here  in  historic  old  Alton — Alton 
that  slew  him,  and  Alton  that  defended  him ! 
Alton  whose  people  to-day  with  one  heart  and 
one  mind,  pluck  from  oblivion  this  wreath  of 
immortality  and  place  it  around  the  memory  of 
Lovejoy.  Love  joy  and  Alton !  Names  as  in- 
separable and  as  dear  to  the  people  of  Illinois 
as  those  of  Lincoln  and  Springfield,  Grant  and 
Galena." 

CONCLUSION  OF  THE  EXERCISES 

"Following  Lieut.  Gov.  NORTHCOTT'S  ad- 
dress the  chorus  sang: 

Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow, 
Praise  Him  all  creatures  here  below, 
Praise  him  above  ye  heavenly  host, 
Praise  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost. 

"The  audience  then  dispersed  after  benedic- 
tion by  Rev.  H.  K.  SANBORNE,  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  member  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  which  Mr.  LOVEJOY  was  Moderator 
at  the  time  of  his  death." 


88  APPENDIX. 

AT  THE  CEMETERY 

"After  the  close  of  the  exercises  at  the  Tem- 
ple several  carriage  loads  of  visitors,  escorted 
by  members  of  the  Association,  were  driven  to 
the  cemetery  to  inspect  the  memorial.  The 
monument  looked  very  imposing,  and  its  beau- 
ty, and  suggestiveness  were  much  admired, 
while  its  solidity  and  massiveness  attracted  uni- 
versal comment.  The  great  bronze  urns  on 
the  pedestals  had  been  filled  with  beautiful 
flowers  and  trailing  vines,  while  the  space  be- 
tween the  base  of  the  monument  and  granitoid 
pavement  was  covered  with  evergreens.  The 
grave  of  LOVEJOY,  [a  little  distance  from  the 
monument,  and  still  marked  as  described  in 
Mr.  Phillips's  letter],  was  decorated  with  an 
immense  floral  wreath  of  beautiful  design 
which  entirely  encircled  the  tablet,  and  over  it 
drooped  the  stars  and  stripes,  the  beautiful 
banner  of  Alton  Post,  No.  441,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  which  was  loaned  by  the  veter- 
ans for  the  occasion." 

HONOKKI)    (  i  TESTS 

Among  the  notable  persons  present  from 
abroad  were  four  members  of  the  Lovejoy 


APPENDIX.  89 

family  connection,  viz. :  Mrs.  John  A.  An- 
drews, of  Boston,  Mass.,  niece  of  the  martyr, 
being  daughter  of  Rev.  Jos.  C.  Love  joy,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.;  two  nephews  of  Lovejoy, 
Messrs.  E.  P.  and  C.  P.  Lovejoy,  of  Princeton, 
111.,  they  being  sons  of  the  late  Congressman, 
Hon.  Owen  Lovejoy,  and  Hon.  W.  O.  Love- 
joy,  of  Galesburg,  111. 


ulhe  Untieing  ifflttt*  in  Alton,  tuttlt 
sntu?  tnribrnis  tn  tta  iftatnrg,  rtr. 


^nmp  nf  E.  $1.  Hntir;og,  Alton,  3111. 

CHERRY   STREET,    BETWEEN    SECOND   AND    THIRD 

In  this  humble  home  Mr.  Lovejoy  lived  with 
the   wife  and  child  of  whom   he  wrote :     "I 


92  Al'l'KXDIX. 

would  not  be  without  the  consolations  which 
my  clear  wife  and  child  afford  me,  for  all  the 
world."  To  this  home  he  came  alone,  when 
the  mob  in  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  had  prevented 
his  bringing  his  family  with  him.  To  this 
home,  where  his  wife  was  lying  seriously  ill, 
he  came  quietly  and  unharmed  on  the  night 
of  Aug.  21st,  1837,  when  he  had  been  waylaid 
on  Second  street  by  a  mob,  which  intended  to 
tar  and  feather  him,  but  overawed  by  his  fear- 
less trust  in  God,  had  dispersed  without  laying 
a  violent  hand  upon  him ! 

There  is  no  better  place  than  this  for  a  brief 
reference  to  the  personality  of  the  man  whose 
residence  in  this  house  made  it  a  sacred  spot. 
Mr.  Tanner  writes:  "Mr.  Lovejoy  was  of 
medium  height,  broadly  built,  muscular,  of 
dark  complexion,  black  eyes,  with  a  certain 
twinkle  betraying  his  sense  of  the  humorous, 
and  with  a  countenance  expressing  great  kind- 
ness and  sympathy.  His  demeanor  among 
friends  manifested  meekness  and  patience, 
which  nothing  short  of  the  controlling  power 


APPENDIX.  93 

of  the  Christian  religion  could  have  produced 
in  ope  possessed  of  a  will  so  strong  and  a 
nature  so  energetic.  There  probably  had  not 
lived  in  this  century  a  man  of  greater  single- 
ness of  purpose  in  bearing  witness  to  the  truth, 
or  one  who  was  more  meek  and  peaceful ;  or 
more  courageous  in  maintaining  principle  in 
the  face  of  passionate  opposition."  Dr.  Sam- 
uel \Yillard  endorses  this  estimate  of  Air.  Love- 
joy.  He  writes  :  "As  I  recall  him,  there  comes 
up  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Tanner  describes,  and 
a  round  pleasant  face,  full  of  good  humor,  and 
beaming  with  kindness  and  gentleness.  I  saw 
him  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement  of  the  at- 
tempted anti-slavery  convention,  and  witnessed 
the  wonderful  calmness  and  mildness  of  his 
demeanor  when  all  about  him  were  excited, 
and  the  Attorney  General  shook  his  fist  in 
Mr.  Love  joy's  face,  so  near  that  he  lacked 
not  much  of  striking  him.  He  was  not  in 
the  least  a  Boanerges  or  'son  of  thunder,'  but 
a  gentle  man,  always.  His  firmness  was  not 
that  of  passion  or  obstinacy,  but  the  gentle 


94  APPENDIX. 

persistence  of  one  who  felt  that  he  was  right, 
and  that  he  must  prevail  as  the  sun  prevails 
against  winter,  by  mild  shining  and  not  by 
storm.  There  was  no  bitterness  in  his  heart, 
no  venom  on  his  tongue,  no  sound  of  fury  in 
his  voice.  He  is  entitled  to  be  ranked  with 
the  St.  John  of  tradition,  or  the  sweet  St. 
Francis  di  Assissi  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Xo 
man  seemed  less  fitted  to  stand  foremost  in  a 
great  struggle ;  and  yet  that  dreadful  lot  befell 
him ;  and  we  see  that  it  was  best  that  he  should 
be  such  a  man,  so  that,  to  use  the  words  of  the 
poet,  'his  virtues  might  plead  like  angels, 
trumpet-tongued,  against  the  deep  damnation 
of  his  taking  off.'  " 

Mr.  Tanner  makes  the  following  interesting 
but  pathetic  statements  as  to  Mrs.  Love  joy : 
"Her  maiden  name  was  Celia  Ann  French,  and 
her  former  residence  was  St.  Charles.  Mn. 
She  was  a  fragile  and  beautiful  girl  of  21.  when 
he  married  her  in  1835.  She  died  some  years 
since  (that  is,  some  years  before  1881),  with- 
out ever  having  entirely  recovered  from  the 


APPENDIX.  95 

trials  of  1837.  Before  her  death,  she  became 
quite  poor,  passed  several  days  at  my  house, 
a  broken-down,  prematurely  old  person,  pos- 
sessed of  scarce  a  trace  of  her  early  beauty. 
The  prophecy  regarding  her,  made  in  1837, 
that  'her  strong  heart  would  break  down  her 
physical  frame,'  was  indeed  most  sadly  veri- 
fied." Mrs.  Lovejoy  was  not  at  home  at  the 
time  of  her  husband's  death. 

From  the  house  on  Cherry  St.  the  martyr 
was  buried,  but  not  till  after  Owen  Lovejoy, 
as  he  has  himself  left  on  record,  "went  into 
a  room  where  the  dead  body  was  lying,  and 
there  alone  with  the  dead  and  with  God,  vowed 
on  his  knees,  never  to  forsake  the  cause  that 
had  been  sprinkled  with  his  brother's  blood." 

The  house  remained  standing  more  than 
fifty  years  after  the  martyrdom,  when  it  was 
taken  down  to  make  room  for  another  edifice. 
A  few  citizens  familiar  with  its  history,  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  secure  me- 
mentos from  the  ruins.  Chief  among  these 
were  two  old  fashioned  wooden  mantels,  be- 


96  Ai' 

fore  which,  without  a  doubt,  the  man  of  God, 
at  his  family  altar  and  in  secret  prayer,  had 
often  strengthened  himself  for  the  great  con- 
flict from  which  no  opposition  could  compel 
him  to  withdraw. 


APPENDIX. 


97 


"It   is  as  preposterous   to   think   of  taking 
slavery  down  through  the  civilisation  of  the 

ages,  as  to  think  of  floating  an  iceburg  throngli 
the  tropics."     Speech  in  Congress,  1860. 


Irof  lOtfr  £teg  of  !?r 
H.  dL 


It  were  easier  to  write  a  long  story  of  the 
life  of  this  remarkable  man,  whose  influence 
was  so  great  in  the  halls  of  'Congress,  and  when 
he  stood'  before  the  people.  After  his  death, 
Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  of  him,  "It  would  scarcely 
wrong  any  other  to  say,  he  "^'as  my  most  gcn- 
crous  friend."  This  valued  friendship  began 
long  before  Mr.  Lincoln  became  President, 
and  continued  "with  increasing  respect  and 
esteem,  no  less  than  affection"  on  Mr.  Lincoln's 
part,  as  he  himself  testified,  until  Mr.  Love- 
joy's  death  in  1864.  During  nearly  all  the 
time  of  his  brother's  residence  in  Alton,  Owen 
Lovejoy  was  intimately  associated  with  him, 
and  being  more  than  eight  years  younger,  he 
pursued  under  his  instruction  theological 
studies,  with  the  intention  of  entering  the  min- 
istry. Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the 


APPENDIX.  99 

influence  of  his  brother's  martyrdom  in  making 
him  a  life-long  antagonist  of  slavery.  The 
year  after  the  tragedy,  1838,  he  removed  to 
Princeton,  111.,  and  became  pastor  of  a  small 
Congregationalist  church,  said  to  have  been 
the  earliest  of  that  denomination  in  the  state. 
Here  he  labored  effectively  as  pastor  for  sev- 
enteen years.  His  preaching  was  attractive, 
and  his  congregations  often  rilled  the  house, 
some  of  his  hearers  having  driven  eight  or  ten 
miles  from  the  surrounding  country.  He  was 
always  outspoken  as  to  the  evils  of  the  liquor 
traffic  and  American  slavery.  His  opposition 
to  these  evils  was  part  of  his  religion.  He 
became  a  recognized  leader  of  Reform  in  his 
section  of  the  state;  and  was  at  length  sent  to 
Congress,  where  he  was  also  an  acknowledged 
leader  of  great  ability  and  alertness.  A  brief 
booklet  prepared  by  Rev.  D.  Heagle,  a  brother 
minister,  gives  the  only  published  account  of 
a  life  of  great  influence,  which  deserved  a  more 
extended  record.  From  that  account  the  facts 
already  given  are  obtained,  as  is  also  the  fol- 


100  APPENDIX. 

lowing  specimen  of  readiness  in  Congression- 
al debate. 

"When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  meditating 
the  issuing  of  his  Emancipation  Proclamation, 
John  J.  Crittenden  of  Kentucky  attempted 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  to  dissuade 
him  from  the  purpose,  saying  among  other 
eloquent  things,  that  if  Lincoln  could  save 
the  country  without  disturbing  slavery,  there 
was  a  'niche  awaiting  him  near  to  that  of 
Washington ;  so  that  the  founder  and  preserver 
of  the  Republic  should  stand  side  by  side.'  To 
this  Mr.  Lovejoy  replied  :  'The  gentleman  from 
Kentucky  says  he  has  a  niche  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Where  is  it?'  Crittenden  pointed  to- 
ward heaven.  Then  said  Lovejoy :  'He  points 
upward.  But,  sir,  if  the  President  follows  the 
counsel  of  that  gentleman,  and  becomes  the 
perpetuator  of  slavery,  he  should  point  down- 
ward, to  some  dungeon  in  the  temple  of  Mo- 
loch, who  feeds  on  human  blood,  and  where 
are  forged  chains  for  human  limbs ;  in  the 
recesses  of  whose  temple  woman  is  scourged 


APPENDIX.  101 

and  man  tortured.  *  *  *  That  is  a  suit- 
able place  for  the  statue  of  him  who  would 
perpetuate  slavery.  But  I,  too,  have  a  niche 
for  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  is  in  Freedom's  holy 
fane ;  not  surrounded  by  slave  fetters  and 
chains,  but  with  the  symbols  of  freedom ;  not 
dark  with  bondage,  but  radiant  with  the  light 
of  liberty.  In  that  niche  he  shall  stand  proud- 
ly, nobly,  gloriously,  with  broken  chains  and 
slaves'  whips  beneath  his  feet.  Let  Lincoln 
make  himself  the  Liberator,  and  his  name 
shall  be  enrolled,  not  only  in  this  earthly 
temple,  but  it  shall  be  traced  on  the  living 
stones  of  that  temple  which  is  reared  amid  the 
thrones  of  heaven.'  " 

During  the  first  Lincoln  campaign  in  -I860, 
Owen  Lovejoy  came  to  Alton  and  made  a 
political  speech  in  the  City  Hall,  to  a  great 
throng  of  spellbound  hearers  of  whom  the 
writer  was  one.  During  his  speech  he  made 
no  allusion  to  the  tragedy  which  had  so  in- 
fluenced his  life.  But  in  conclusion  he  uttered 
the  following  words,  as  recalled  by  Hon. 


102  APPENDIX. 

Thomas    Dimmock,  who    describes    them    as 
"words  which  I  shall  never  forget :" 

"This  is  not  the  time  nor  the  place  to  speak 
of  my  brother,  or  of  the  cause  for  which  he 
died.  Enough  that  he  lives  a  dear  and  pre- 
cious memory,  in  the  hearts  of  those  he  left 
behind.  As  for  his  cause,  time  will  vindicate 
that  as  surely  as  God  lives  and  reigns.  Twenty 
three  years  ago  the  blood  of  my  brother,  slain 
in  these  streets,  ran  down  and  mingled  with 
the  waters  of  the  mighty  river  which  sweeps 
past  your  city  to  the  sea. 

"The    Avon   to    the    Severn    runs, 

The  Severn  to  the  sea, 
And  Wickliffe's  dust  shall  spread  abroad 
Wide  as  the  waters  be." 


t?  Iran?  lefrntora  of  lit?  Jfawrtlt 


It  may  be  well  to  say  a  few  words  as  to  the 
bad  repute  of  the  name  of  Alton  for  many 
years,  owing  to  the  city's  misfortune,  and  to 
some  extent  its  fault,  in  having  been  the  scene 
of  so  blameworthy  a  tragedy.  The  instanta- 
neous condemnatory  thought  of  Nathaniel  Col- 
ver,  on  hearing  the  name  of  Alton  has  been 
referred  to,  and  Wendell  Phillips  tells  of  a 
similar  effect  upon  his  mind  of  the  name  heard 
in  speech  or  seen  in  print.  So  wide  spread  and 
deep  was  the  indignation  over  the  deed  of 
blood,  heralded  everywhere  throughout  the 
land,  that  little  thought  wyas  given  abroad  to 
the  facts  of  the  brave  defense  of  the  press 
made  by  scores  of  armed  citizens,  some  of 
whom  did  not  share  in  the  editor's  views.  At- 
tention has  already  been  sufficiently  called  to 
these  facts,  and  the  suggestive  question  has 
been  asked,  What  other  place  of  the  size  of 
Alton  ;  on  the  border  of  a  slave  state,  would 
have  furnished  an  equally  numerous  party  of 


104  APPENDIX. 

armed  men  at  that  time,  to  defend  an  anti- 
slavery  press  ?  It  was  a  happy  thought  of  the 
Monument  Association  to  let  one  of  the  panels 
of  the  monument  commemorate  these  brave 
defenders,  that  they  might  be  honored  together 
with  the  man  whom  they  faithfully,  though 
unsuccessfully  defended.  Readers  will  be 
gratified  to  see  the  portraits  of  two  of  these 
men.  Winthrop  S.  Oilman  has  been  already 
several  times  referred  to  as  Mr.  Love  joy's  res- 
olute advocate  in  the  last  public  meeting,  as 
well  as  his  defender  against  the  violence  of  the 
mob.  The  day  preceding  the  eventful  night, 
he  sent  his  young  wife  with  their  child,  to  her 
father's  in  Upper  Alton,  while  he  remained  to 
be  one  of  those  who  guarded  the  press  in  the 
warehouse.  His  name  has  ever  been  an  hon- 
orable one  in  Alton.  Mr.  Henry  Tanner  was 
another  of  the  defenders.  He  claims  to  have 
had  for  effective  use  an  unusually  good  rifle. 
To  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  account  of 
thrilling  events,  of  which  he  was  an  eye  wit- 
ness, given  to  the  public  in  1881. 


APPENDIX. 


106 


APPENDIX. 


WENDELL    Pn  ILLIPS'S    TRIBUTE    TO    THE    DE- 
FENDERS  OF    THE    PRESS,    AND    THE    CLOSING 

PARAGRAPHS  OF  His  SPEECH    IN    FANETIL 
HALL,  1837. 


"Mr.  Chairman,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
I  thank  that  brave  little  band  at  Alton  for 
resisting.  \\'c  must  remember  that  Lovejoy 


APPENDIX.  107 

had  fled  from  city  to  city, — suffered  the  de- 
struction of  three  presses,  patiently.  At  length 
he  took  counsel  with  friends,  men  of  character, 
of  tried  integrity,  of  wide  views,  of  Christian 
principle.  They  thought  the  crisis  had  come : 
it  was  full  time  to  assert  the  laws.  They  saw 
around  them  not  a  community  like  our  own,  of 
fixed  habits,  of  character  moulded  and  settled, 
but  one  "in  the  gristle,  not  yet  hardened  into 
the  bone  of  manhood."  The  people  there, 
children  of  our  older  states,  seem  to  have  for- 
gotten the  blood-tried  principles  of  their  fath- 
ers the  moment  they  lost  sight  of  our  New 
England  hills.  Something  was  to  be  done  to 
show  them  the  priceless  value  of  the  freedom 
of  the  press,  to  bring  back  and  set  right  their 
wandering  and  confused  ideas.  He  and  his 
advisers  looked  out  on  a  community,  stagger- 
ing like  a  drunken  man,  indifferent  to  their 
rights  and  confused  in  their  feelings.  Deaf  to 
argument,  haply  they  might  be  stunned  into 
sobriety.  They  saw  that  of  which  we  cannot 
judge,  the  necessity  of  resistance.  Insulted 


108  APPENDIX. 

law  called  for  it.  Public  opinion,  fast  hasten- 
ing on  the  downward  course,  must  be  arrested. 

"Does  not  the  event  show  they  judged  right- 
ly? Absorbed  in  a  thousand  trifles,  how  has 
the  nation  all  at  once  come  to  a  stand?  Men 
begin,  as  in  1776,  and  1640,  to  discuss  princi- 
ples, to  weigh  characters,  to  find  out  where 
they  are.  Haply  we  may  awake  before  we  are 
borne  over  the  precipice. 

"I  am  glad,  sir,  to  see  this  crowded  house. 
It  is  good,  for  us  to  be  here.  When  Liberty 
is  in  danger,  Faneuil  Hall  has  the  right,  it  is 
her  duty,  to  strike  the  key-note  for  these 
United  States.  I  am  glad,  for  one  reason, 
that  remarks  such  as  those  to  which  I  have 
alluded  have  been  uttered  here.  The  passage 
of  these  resolutions,  in  spite  of  this  opposition, 
led  by  the  Attorney-General  of  the  Common- 
wealth, will  show  more  clearly,  more  decisively, 
the  deep  indignation  with  which  Boston  re- 
gards this  outrage." 


APPENDIX. 


109 


LATER    PORTRAIT   OF    WENDELL   PHILLIPS. 

"/  can  never  forget  the  quick,  sharp  agony 
of  that  hour  which  brought  us  news  of  Love- 
joy's  death.  *  *  *  Incredible,  almost,  that 
zue  should  ever  have  been  obliged  to  defend  his 
'prudence.'  Hozv  'prudently'  most  men  creep 
into  nameless  graves,  while  nozv  and  then  one 
or  tz(.'o  forget  themselves  into  immortality." 
Letter  from  Alton,  1867. 


Wt  ttto  II  Iphtlltji'H  letter  fnmt  Alton 
in 


Republished  Nov.,  1897,  in  the  Alton  Even- 
ing Telegraph,  with  editorial  comments. 

"On  April  13,  1867,  Wendell  Phillips  lec- 
tured in  Alton,  in  the  City  Hall,  as  one  of  a 
course  under  the  auspices  of  the  Ladies'  Li- 
brary Association.  After  going  to  the  site  of 
Love  joy's  office  and  that  of  the  warehouse 
where  he  was  killed,  he  went  to  the  city  ceme- 
tery where  Lovejoy  was  buried.  He  wrote  a 
letter  from  this  city  to  the  Anti-Slavery  Stand- 
ard, which  appeared  in  that  journal  April  27. 
It  was  copied  into  the  TELEGRAPH  at  a  later 
date.  The  reprint  in  the  TELEGRAPH  Rev.  Dr. 
Jameson  placed  in  his  scrap  book,  to  which 
we  are  now  indebted  for  a  copy  for  publication 
at  this  time. 

ALTON,  ILL.,  APRIL  14,  '67. 
"Dear  Standard:  —  I  lectured  here  last  night. 
and  today  have  been  visiting  the  places  made 
historical  and  sacred  by  the  labors  and  martyr- 


APPENDIX.  Ill 

clom  of  Love  joy.  Hitherto  the  name  of  this 
city  brought  always  but  one  idea  to  my  mind, 
and  I  never  heard  or  saw  it  printed  without  an 
involuntary  shudder.  A  cordial  welcome  here, 
and  by  men  who  have  done  good  service  in 
this  valley  of  the  Mississippi — where  the  battle 
was  for  a  time  so  hot,  has  broken  that  spell, 
and  I  trust  hereafter  to  think  of  it  as  the  home 
of  brave  and  true  men. 

"The  plain  stone  store,  from  which  his  first 
press  was  flung  into  a  creek,  (now  covered  by 
a  business  street  under  which  .it  runs)  still 
stands.  Its  walls — brown  and  dingy  with 
what  in  this  young  country  is  age — are  to  me 
the  most  interesting  relic  in  the  place.  Here  a 
brave  man  and  the  slave  power  began  their 
death-grapple.  How  proudly  the  seeming  con- 
querors left  those  walls  that  night !  How  little 
aware  that  the  seemingly  humbled  roof  covered 
a  courage  and  patience  that  'slowly  would  out- 
weigh their  solid  globe !'  The  building  where 
he  was  shot  has  been  taken  down  and  a  large 
mill  built  there ;  but  the  same  long,  gray  stone 
wall  stands  on  one  side,  and  the  same  river 
runs  on  the  other  side, — the  last  objects  on 
which  his  eyes  rested ;  these  mute,  unchanging 
witnesses  saw  the  first  bloodshed  in  defense  of 
the  right  to  discuss  American  slavery.  That 
death  stunned  a  drunken  people  into  sobriety. 
Slowly  at  first,  but  afterward  with  what  a  mar- 
velous promptness  the  people  rallied  to  the 
struggle,  determined  that  if  there  was  anything 


112  APPENDIX. 

in  the  land  which  would  not  bear  free  speech, 
it  was  not  free  speech  they  would  surrender. 

"Lovejoy  lies  buried  now  in  the  city  ceme- 
tery on  a  beautiful  knoll.  Near  by  rolls  the 
great  river.  His  resting  place  is  marked  by 
an  oblong  stone,  perhaps  thirty  inches  by  twen- 
ty, and  rising  a  foot  above  the  ground ;  on  this 
rests  a  marble  scroll  bearing  the  inscription — 

Hie  Jacct 

LOVEJOY 

Jam  Parce  Scpulto. 

"(Here  lies  Lovejoy;  spare  him,  now  in  his 
grave.) 

"A  more  marked  testimonial  would  not, 
probably,  have  been  safe  from  insult  and  dis- 
figurement previous  to  1864.  He  fought  his 
fight  so  far  in  the  van,  so  much  in  the  hottest 
of  the  battle,  that  not  till  nigh  after  thirty 
years  and  the  final  victory,  could  even  his  dust 
be  sure  of  quiet.  Myrtles  and  some  flowers 
grow  over  his  resting  place,  fresh  and  green, 
this  beautiful  spring  day.  Other  graves  are 
guarded  by  tasteful  and  costly  architecture,  but 
this  one  lies  close  to  the  path,  unfenced.  fitly 
holding  up  its  record  and  appeal  to  the  eye  of 
every  passer.  [Mr.  Phillips'  letter  was  written 
previous  to  the  stone  wall  being  placed  around 
the  Lovejoy  lot  by  Mr.  Thomas  Dimmock,  of 
St.  Louis,— ED.  TEL.] 

"Soon   the   gratitude   and   penitence   of  his 


APPENDIX. 


113 


friends  and  neighbors  will  build,  not  for  him 
a  monument,  but  a  testimony  on  their  part  that 
he  died  not  in  vain.  It  should  be  placed  nearer 
the  river,  on  the  bluff  that  looks  down  directly 
on  the  Mississippi,  so  that  every  boat  in  passing 
up  and  down  shall  be  able  to  show  to  the  mil- 
lions of  busy  and  prosperous  men  the  name  of 
him  who  consecrated  this  grand  valley  to  liber- 
ty. Grandly  the  valley  spreads  north,  south 
and  west,  miles  and  miles  away,  holding  great 
States  bound  together  by  the  golden  ribbon 
of  the  Mississippi,  a  valley  made  historical  by 
many  a  hard  fought  fight.  But  it  will  soon 
know  that  it  holds  no  prouder  spot  than  that 
which  saw  the  first  defeat — like  Bunker  Hill 
and  Bull  Run — better  and  more  fruitful  than 
a  hundred  victories  in  this  war  for  free  speech 
and  justice. 

"I  can  never  forget  the  quick,  sharp  agony 
of  that  hour  which  brought  us  news  of  Love- 
joy's  death.  We  had  not  then  fully  learned 
the  bloodthirstiness  of  the  slave  power.  When 
John  Brown  confronted  it  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
.we  knew  and  had  long  known  the  risk  any 
man  ran  who  defied  the  fiend.  But  twenty 
years  before,  Garrison  had  just  waked  up  to 
its  horrors,  and  we  saw  it  but  blindly.  The 
gun  fired  at  Love  joy  was  like  that  of  Sumter — 
it  scattered  a  world  of  dreams.  Looking  back, 
how  wise,  as  well  as  noble,  his  course  seems ! 
Incredible  almost  that  we  should  ever  have 
been  obliged  to  defend  his  'prudence.'  What 


114  APPENDIX. 

world-wide  benefactors  these  'imprudent'  men 
are — the  Love  joys,  the  Browns,  the  Garrisons, 
'  the  saints  and  martyrs  !  How  'prudently'  most 
.men  creep  into  nameless  graves ;  while  now  and 
then  one  or  two  forget  themselves  into  immor- 
tality ! 

WENDELL  PHILLIPS." 

"When  Mr.  Phillips  was  in  Alton  in  '67  an 
effort  was  being  made  to  erect  a  monument  to 
the  memory  of  Lovejoy,  and  this  will  explain 
his  reference  to  a  'testimony'  which  was  to 
be  erected  by  neighbors  and  friends.  But  thir- 
ty years  and  more  elapsed  between  Mr.  Phil- 
lips' visit  and  the  erection  of  the  memorial 
shaft  that  was  dedicated  last  Monday.  And 
not  alone  by  the  citizens  of  Alton,  but  by  the 
great  State  of  Illinois.  It  was  right  that  it 
should  be  more  than  a  local  matter.  It  was  a 
national  affair,  and  Alton  was  only  the  battle 
ground  of  the  first  fight  in  the  cause  of  human 
liberty  on  this  continent.  Mr.  Phillips,  while 
in  Alton,  promised  the  then  monument  asso- 
ciation, or  persons  who  were  aiming  to  build 
a  monument,  that  if  it  was  completed  during 


APPENDIX.  115 

his  lifetime  he  would  make  the  dedication  ad- 
dress." 

The  foregoing  letter,  although  presumably 
only  an  ephemeral  though  eloquent  communi- 
cation to  a  newspaper,  having  been  providen- 
tially preserved  for  thirty  years,  became  the 
means  whereby  its  lamented  author  could 
appropriately  express  himself  in  connection 
with  the  Dedication  of  the  Monument  to  the 
martyr  whose  champion  he  had  been  sixty 
years  before. 

THE   END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

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